The death toll of Russia’s May 25 strike on a building materials hypermarket in Kharkiv has risen to 16, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov said on the afternoon of May 26.
Over 40 people are confirmed to have been wounded, and over a dozen more are considered missing, the National Police reported earlier the same day.
Two guided bombs hit the hypermarket in the middle of the day, causing a large-scale fire, according to Syniehubov.
According to a post on social media from President Volodymyr Zelensky, more than 200 people may have been inside the hypermarket at the time of the attack.
European Council President Charles Michel condemned the attack as "atrocious" in his post on X on May 26.
"Russia’s efforts to terrorize Ukrainian civilians as part of its war of aggression against Ukraine are criminal," Michel said.
"Together, we can stop Russia’s brutal attacks. We need to urgently advance on a comprehensive air defense solution for Ukraine."
Mere hours after the attack on the hypermarket, Russian forces launched a second strike on Kharkiv's city center, injuring at least 25 people.
Russia launched a new offensive on May 10 in northern Kharkiv Oblast with a reported 30,000 troops.
According to Zelensky, Moscow's forces had managed to advance as far as 10 kilometers (6 miles) in the region but had been halted by the first line of defense.
Russian forces regularly conduct ground shelling and aerial attacks against population centers in Kharkiv Oblast. Local Ukrainian authorities have also reported instances of civilian executions at the hands of Russian troops.
Igor Kossov
