Ukrainian authorities reported Monday that a deadly Russian missile strike on the town of Merefa in the northeastern Kharkiv region has left five civilians dead and wounded 18 others.
According to regional governor Oleh Syniehubov, the casualties included two men and three women, with four of the wounded requiring hospitalization in serious condition. The strike caused extensive damage to at least 10 residential homes, an administrative facility, four retail shops, an automotive repair garage, and a restaurant.
“Today during the day, the occupiers attacked civilian infrastructure of a town quite far from the front with a missile,” Syniehubov stated on Telegram.
Prosecutors in the region indicated that Russian forces likely deployed an Iskander-type ballistic missile in the assault.
Emergency response teams shared images showing the aftermath of the strike, including a building with its roof destroyed and windows shattered, firefighters putting out a vehicle blaze, and rescue workers assisting a bloodied woman on the ground.
Russian officials have not responded to requests for comment regarding the attack. The Kremlin maintains it does not deliberately target civilian areas during the conflict, despite thousands of civilian deaths since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
While Ukrainian forces have also struck civilian areas in Russia and Russian-controlled territories, such incidents occur on a significantly smaller scale.
