Boy, 10, dies as Russia fires missiles on Kharkiv

Russia fired missiles at the city of Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine, early on Friday, leaving at least one dead and two dozen wounded, local authorities and law enforcement reported.

The attack on Kharkiv follows a missile strike on the village of Hroza, in the Kharkiv region, where more than 50 civilians died.

Ukrainian interior ministry Ihor Klymenko said that the Russian missile had hit a three-storey residential building in Kharkiv, and the body of a boy, 10, had been found under the rubble.

Oleh Syniehubov, the head of the Kharkiv regional military administration, said that at least 23 people had been injured in the attack, and rescuers were looking for other people that might be trapped under the rubble.

"The enemy launched two missile strikes, first with Iskander missiles, on Kharkiv. One of the missiles hit the carriageway, windows in neighbouring houses were smashed. The second missile hit a three-storey residential building, causing a fire," he posted on Telegram.

The fire broke out in an area of 50 square metres, later extinguished by rescuers.

Russia has been constantly attacking civilian areas since it started its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last February.

It denies targeting civilians in what it calls a ‘special military operation’, either claiming they are ‘military targets’ or calling evidence of its brutal attacks a ‘fake’.