KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — An overnight Russian attack destroyed train tracks and rolling stock in the northeastern region of Kharkov, officials said Friday, and authorities organized the evacuation of children from the area ravaged by Kremlin forces in a forceful new offensive. .
According to Ukraine’s national railway company Ukrzaliznytsia, the overnight strike also damaged buildings and freight wagons. No injuries have been reported.
Authorities have evacuated more than 11,000 people from the Kharkiv region since Russia launched an offensive there on May 10, regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. Officials on Friday announced the mandatory evacuation over the next 60 days of 123 orphans and children living in the area without their parents.
The Russian attack on Kharkov appears to be a coordinated new offensive that will include testing Ukrainian defenses in the Donetsk region further south, while also launching raids in the northern regions of Sumy and Chernihiv.
Ukraine’s problems have increased in recent months as the country tries to hold its ground against its much bigger enemy, and the war appears to be at a critical juncture.
The new Russian offensive is adding to Ukraine’s depleted ranks, depleted by more than two years of war. The destruction of the train network puts even more pressure on the already overstretched Ukrainian army.
Crucial Western aid to Kiev, especially air defense systems to stop Russia’s targeted destruction of the power grid, is not coming quickly enough. Furthermore, most Western donors will not allow Ukraine to use the advanced long-range weapons they provide to attack targets on Russian territory. That allows Moscow to rally its troops for cross-border attacks almost unhindered, and to use rocket launchers to bomb Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said these restrictions allowed an attack on Thursday on the city of Kharkov, the region’s capital, killing seven civilians and wounding 21 others.
Zelenskyy said on social media that Ukraine has “a shortage of air defense systems actually available in the world” and a “lack of long-range capabilities for our fighters and the complete inability to destroy the source of Russian terror near our borders.” , including the rocket launchers that actually hit Ukraine and the lives of our people.”
Thursday’s strike using S-300 missiles hit a printing plant, burning about 50,000 books, Zelenskyy said.
Serhii Polituchyi, owner of the Faktor-Druk printing company, said the attack would reduce Ukraine’s letter printing capacity by 30 to 40%.
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