Russia-Ukraine war: Drone attack kills 4 people in Kharkiv, Ukraine as Russia builds its war strength

Firefighters work in a residential neighbourhood in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Photo / AP

Russian forces fired drones at two apartment buildings and a power plant in Ukraine’s second-largest city, killing four people, local authorities said, as the Kremlin’s forces apparently set in motion their strategy for the coming months of war by escalating the bombardment of civilian areas.

Shahed drones smashed into two apartment buildings in Kharkiv, near the Russian border, which has frequently been targeted during more than two years of war. Other drones targeted the power grid.

The Kremlin’s forces in recent months have stepped up their aerial barrages of Ukraine, hitting urban areas. The approximately 1000km front line is largely deadlocked, but Kyiv officials say Moscow’s troops have recently been probing for Ukrainian weaknesses ahead of an expected large-scale Russian offensive in the summer.

An Associated Press video of the Kharkiv attack shows firefighters battling blazing houses in the dark when the roar of an approaching second drone grows louder. The drone explodes nearby, sending up an orange fireball, and rescue workers with flashlights dash to help their injured colleagues lying on the ground amid embers and debris.

Rescue workers battle a blaze in a destroyed house after a Russian drone strike on a residential neighbourhood in Kharkiv. Photo / AP

“Where are ambulances?” shouts one first responder as they carry away the injured on fire blankets.

The Russian strikes hit a multi-story building in Kharkiv twice in quick succession, killing three first responders, local authorities said. Six people were wounded at that location. Another 14-story building was hit by a drone, killing a 69-year-old woman.

Ukrainian officials have previously accused Russia of targeting rescue workers by hitting residential buildings with two consecutive missiles - the first one to draw crews to the scene and the second one to wound or kill them. The tactic is called a “double tap” in military jargon. Russians used the same method in Syria’s civil war.

The Institute for the Study of War said the goal of Russia’s escalated attacks on civilian areas and the country’s power grid may be to compel Ukraine’s army to deploy air defence systems away from the front line. That would allow Russia to provide more air cover for its ground operations on the battlefield, the think tank said.

Russian forces apparently have increased the scale of their mechanised ground assaults in parts of the front line in recent weeks, it added, apparently seeking gains while Ukrainian forces are kept waiting for the arrival of vital new military supplies from their Western partners.

With the support of China, Russia has built its forces back up close to full strength, according to a senior US official.

Ukrainian rescue workers extinguish a house fire. Photo / AP

“We have assessed over the course of the last couple of months that Russia has almost completely reconstituted militarily,” US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the strikes that killed first responders in Kharkiv a “despicable and cynical attack” and renewed his plea for more air defence systems from the West.

“Strengthening Ukraine’s air defence capabilities directly translates into saving lives,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Other first responders have also been victims of the fighting. The World Health Organisation said that ambulance workers and other health transport staff face a high risk of injury or death.

“Many emergency teams come under fire either on the way to a call or at their bases,” WHO said in a report.