At least 21 civilians, including two 12-year-old girls and an 8-year-old boy, were injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, on Tuesday, according to prosecutors.
Russian forces used glide bombs in three waves of attacks, hitting more than 20 targets, according to Oleksandr Filchakov, prosecutor for the Kharkiv region.
Glide bombs can carry hundreds of kilograms of explosives and are dropped from aircraft which, in the case of attacks on the Kharkiv border region, do not even need to enter Ukrainian airspace.
Filchakov wrote on Telegram that several apartment blocks, a shopping center and an educational institution were damaged in the bombing that also set cars and garages on fire.
The attack comes as Russian forces continue their advance towards the Kharkiv region. Russian troops are regaining control of villages and areas in Ukraine from which they were expelled in late 2022 during a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Ukraine's State Emergency Service said on Tuesday that more than 7,500 civilians had been evacuated from their homes during heavy fighting in the northern Kharkiv region.
CNN's Nick Paton Walsh, reporting live from central Ukraine, said Russian troops are moving quickly and have better resources and better ammunition. It is also clear that the Ukrainians have failed to build sufficient defenses in the region.
Ukraine is asking for more artillery ammunition for rockets and missiles to be sent to it as a priority, especially 155mm shells, so it can repel Russia's resurgent invasion force.
