Massive attack on Kharkiv: Number of casualties and injured rises, consequences updated

As of 11:19 p.m. Kyiv time, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said in a Telegram post that at least 27 people had been injured in the evening Russian attack involving strike drones.

“The search and rescue operation in the Kholodnohirskyi district is ongoing,” he added.

Shortly after, Terekhov reported that the death toll had risen to two.

“Rescuers recovered the body of a deceased person from the rubble,” he wrote on social media.

The head of the regional military administration confirmed the two fatalities in Kharkiv. In a Telegram update at 11:24 p.m. Kyiv time, he stated that the number of wounded from the mass Russian bombardment had climbed to 25.

“Among the injured are five children aged 5 to 17. Three are currently in hospitals, while two received medical assistance at the scene,” he said.

Shortly after midnight, police in the Kharkiv region released footage showing the aftermath of the mass drone attack on the city.

"Two people have been killed and 25 injured: police are documenting the consequences of the enemy strikes on Kharkiv," law enforcement officials said.

Additionally, footage showing the aftermath of the mass drone attack on Kharkiv was released by the State Emergency Service and the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration.

The aftermath of the drone attack on Kharkiv on the evening of March 29 (photo: t.me/dsns_telegram / t.me/synegubov).

Updated: Strikes were recorded in three districts, with consequences clarified

According to updated information from emergency services, Kharkiv was hit in three districts: Kholodnohirskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, and Kyivskyi.

"Six fire outbreaks occurred. Private residential buildings were destroyed, office buildings, a medical facility, commercial properties, garages, and vehicles were damaged," reported the State Emergency Service.

Emergency responders noted that one of the strikes directly hit a private house, which was destroyed.

"A fire broke out over an area of 100 square meters. Rescuers retrieved an injured man and the body of a deceased woman from the rubble. Firefighting and debris removal are ongoing," the service reported.

As the head of the regional military administration informed, two people were killed in Kharkiv due to the Russian strikes— a 67-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman.

"Twenty-five people were injured to varying degrees. Among the victims, a 15-year-old girl is in the hospital in serious condition. Two children with minor injuries will be treated on an outpatient basis," the official said.

Updated: The number of injured has increased

As reported by Dmitry Chubenko, spokesman for the Kharkiv regional prosecutor's office, 30 people are now known to have been injured in Kharkiv as a result of the Russian drone attack the previous evening, including five children. Two people, a man and a woman, have been confirmed dead.

He informed that, according to preliminary data, the enemy used Shahed-2 strike drones for the attacks on the city.

There were a total of six strikes: one in Kharkiv's Kholodnohirskyi district, where a private residential building was directly hit, with the burned body of the deceased found under the rubble, and five strikes in the Shevchenkivskyi district.

In the latter, a strike hit near a high-rise office building, also damaging a medical facility, and there was a strike on a private residential house, where a man died as a result of the explosion.

Massive Shahed strike on Kharkiv on March 29

Earlier on Saturday evening, explosions were reported in Kharkiv amid a drone attack, as a large number of enemy strike UAVs were observed heading toward the city.

Strikes were confirmed in the Shevchenkivskyi and Kholodnohirskyi districts, with local authorities stating that residential areas had been hit, sparking a fire. Drones reportedly struck at six locations.

Initial reports indicated one fatality, while the number of injured continued to be updated and rise.

City officials reported that a shopping center, high-rise residential buildings, a medical facility, and an office building were damaged in Kharkiv.

Later, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russian forces had targeted a military hospital in the city with strike drones. The attack damaged the hospital building and nearby residential houses.

Preliminary reports indicate that some Ukrainian servicemen receiving treatment at the medical facility were among the injured, the military command added.

"The deliberate, targeted shelling of a Ukrainian medical facility by the Russian army adds to the long list of cowardly and cynical crimes committed by Russia since the start of its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine," the General Staff said.