A blood transfusion centre in the Kupiansk community, situated in the Kharkiv region of north-eastern Ukraine, fell victim to a targeted attack on Saturday night. The assault involved a Russian-guided air bomb, resulting in loss of life and injuries to numerous individuals.
However, specific numbers have not been mentioned in the initial reports.
On his Telegram channel, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed deep concern about the strike at the blood transfusion centre. He noted that rescuers were working tirelessly to tackle the attack fire and attend to the injured.
President Zelensky underscored that defeating terrorists responsible for such acts was a matter of honour for those who value human life. The Ukrainian President referred to the perpetrators of the attack as “beasts” with the sinister intention to “destroy everything that simply allows to live.”
Russia has chosen not to make any public comments regarding the incident at this time.
Kupiansk and its neighbouring settlements have endured previous conflicts, most notably during Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russian forces captured the region, only to be liberated by a swift Ukrainian counter-offensive in September of the same year.
In addition to the attack on the blood transfusion centre, President Zelensky revealed that on the same Saturday, Russia also conducted a missile attack on an aeronautical company operated by Motor Sich.
Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian territory come after Moscow accuses Ukraine of attacking a Russian tanker, named Sig, in the Black Sea. The incident, which occurred in the Kerch Strait, resulted in damage to the tanker’s engine room, but no crew members were injured.
The attack on the Russian tanker in the Kerch Strait marks the second reported sea drone attack in many days.
The Kerch Strait serves as a crucial waterway that connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Ukraine has not issued any official statements in response to the reported attack on the Russian tanker or missile strikes on its own territory.
According to an unnamed source from the Ukrainian security service, a sea drone was allegedly used in the attack on the Russian tanker in the Kerch Strait.
