Russia strikes Ukraine's Izium city center: Many killed and injured reported
Photo: Russians hit the center of Izium with ballistic missiles (Getty Images).
Russian troops fired a ballistic missile at the center of Izium, Kharkiv region, targeting administrative buildings and residential houses. Many casualties were reported.
Read all the information about the consequences of the Russian attack on Izium in the report below.
Russia struck center of Izium
The explosion in Izium occurred at about 11:34 a.m. Kyiv time. Air Force warned of the threat of enemy ballistic missiles from the east. Later it became known that Russian troops had launched a missile attack on the city center.
According to the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, Oleh Syniehubov, Russia hit an administrative building. Another administrative building nearby was damaged, as well as multi-story residential buildings, including a five-story building.
“There is no military object in this place,” said Syniehubov.
Izium Mayor Valerii Marchenko told Suspilne that these are buildings where people used to work. These are the tax, social security, and treasury offices.
Killed and injured
According to the latest data, Russia killed 5 people in the attack on Izium. Among them are 2 women and 2 men. Rescuers pulled some bodies from the rubble. All the victims are civilians. They are being identified.
Another 38 people were injured. 7 were hospitalized. Among them is a 15-year-old girl who received a shrapnel wound, her condition is moderate. Three more people are in the operating room, doctors are providing all the necessary assistance.
However, information on the number of victims is constantly updated, so the numbers may increase.
Zelenskyy revealed aftermath
According to President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a rescue operation is underway after a Russian missile strike on the city. Russian attack destroyed part of the city council building.
“This brutality cannot be tolerated. Maximum pressure must be applied to Russia – through military force, sanctions, and diplomacy – to stop the terror and protect lives,” Zelenskyy said.
Footage
The footage was released by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. They noted that search and rescue operations at the site of the impact have been completed.
Oleh Syniehubov, the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, showed the photos of the almost destroyed city council building.
Why Izium is important to Russians
Izium is the center of the Izium district of the Kharkiv region. The city is located in Slobozhanshchyna, at the foot of Mount Kremianets on the winding bank of the Siverskyi Donets. Since March 7, 2022, it has been temporarily occupied by Russian troops during their full-scale invasion.
The city is important to the Russians because it is located in the southeast of the region on the strategic M-03 (E-40) highway, which connects Kharkiv with Sloviansk in the neighboring Donetsk region.
On September 10, 2022, the city was de-occupied as part of the Slobozhansk counter-offensive, an operation that allowed Ukrainian soldiers to enter Russia's rear and liberate a large number of territories.
At the time of its liberation, Izium had about 10,000 residents out of the more than 46,000 who had lived there before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. On September 15, a mass grave for more than 440 people was discovered in the city, and 22 bodies found in this mass grave in a forest belt remain unidentified.
According to preliminary estimates by local authorities, 80% of the buildings in Izium were damaged or destroyed as a result of active hostilities.
Sources: head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration Oleh Syniehubov, the statement of the mayor of Izium Valerii Marchenko to Suspilne, etc.
