Zelensky Calls Russia's Deadly Attack on Kharkiv 'Barbarism'

Ukrainian officials announced on Tuesday, February 5, that a Russian missile attack on the city of Izium in the Kharkiv region, which hit the city council building in the central area, killed 5 civilians and injured 55 others. Oleg Sinehubov, the regional governor, wrote on Telegram that three children were among the injured, most of whom were local government and social service workers. A woman named Vitalia Klyuchanovich told Reuters that she was searching for her two female relatives, aged 18 and 19, who had gone to the passport office to obtain some documents. Sinehubov later announced that these two women, one of whom was pregnant, were among the deceased. According to Reuters, the bodies of the victims were placed in black bags on the sidewalk in front of the council building. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X about the attack: 'This barbarism is intolerable. Maximum pressure must be applied on Russia – through military force, sanctions, and diplomacy – to stop this slaughter and protect lives.' A section of the city council building, which had recently been renovated, completely collapsed, and its windows were shattered. Sinehubov emphasized that there were no military facilities in the area and that the attack also damaged several nearby residential buildings. Olena Bespala, a childcare worker who was at her workplace during the attack, said to Reuters with a wounded and stitched face: 'The air raid alert went off just at the moment of the attack, and exactly one second later, the explosion occurred.' Ballistic missiles typically strike their targets within a few minutes after being identified. Izium was occupied by Russian forces at the beginning of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in March 2022, which is now approaching its third anniversary, and was extensively destroyed. After the city was liberated, Ukrainian officials accused Russia of war crimes, stating that they found mass graves there. Moscow denies these allegations. Ukraine accused Russia of bombing civilian shelters in Kursk. Zelensky stated that U.S.-Russia negotiations about the war without Ukraine are 'dangerous.' Ukraine attacked the 'Russian Army Command' in Kursk. Russia attempted to cut supply lines to the city of Pokrovsk, Ukraine. Ukraine shot down 57 Russian drones. A deadly Russian attack in Zaporizhzhia left 20,000 people without electricity.