Girl, 14, among six killed by Russian attack on Kharkiv as 55 more injured, Ukrainian officials say
A 14-year-old girl was killed in a Russian attack on Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials have said.
At least six people were killed in all, as a 12-storey building was hit alongside a playground, in the industrial district.
The Russian-guided bomb attack in the northeastern city also left 55 people injured.
About 20 of the injured were in severe condition, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
“Occupiers killed a child right on the playground,” Ihor Terekhov, the city’s mayor, said on Telegram.
Ukraine’s second-largest city has long been a target for Russia, ever since its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Cars burn after a Russian air strike in Kharkiv.
Pic: Reuters
Paramedics carry a person rescued from an apartment building after a Russian air strike in Kharkiv.
Pic: Reuters
An apartment building burns after a Russian air strike in Kharkiv.
Pic: Reuters
Elsewhere in the war in Ukraine:
• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has renewed calls to Western allies to allow long-range attacks on Russia
• Mr Zelenskyy also sacked Ukraine’s air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk, according to a presidential decree
• A Ukrainian F-16 pilot was shot down in friendly fire, an MP has claimed
• In the Kursk incursion, Ukraine’s top commander claimed his forces advanced 2km in the past 24 hours
• Russian forces have taken control of more settlements in eastern Ukraine, according to state media
• European Union defence ministers agreed to boost their training programme for Ukrainian troops
• A Russian newspaper publisher was sentenced to eight years after reporting on Moscow’s attacks on Ukraine, according to rights activists
• And the Kremlin insists it has “no worries” as President Vladimir Putin visits Mongolia, a country that is a member of the International Criminal Court, which last year issued a warrant for his arrest
Video from the site of the Kharkiv attack, shared by Mr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, showed huge flames and black smoke rising from the upper floors of the building.
In light of the attack, the Ukrainian president renewed his calls to Western allies to allow him to use their weapons in long-range attacks on Russia.
“A strike … would not have happened if our defence forces had the ability to destroy Russian military aircraft where they are based. We need strong decisions from our partners to stop this terror,” Mr Zelenskyy said.
Firefighters rescue a girl from the residential building hit in Kharkiv. Pic: Reuters
Ukrainian authorities said Friday’s attack involved five aerial-guided bombs launched from planes in Russia’s Belgorod region.
The US ambassador to Ukraine described the Kharkiv attack as a “war crime” and called for Russia to be held accountable.
Ukrainian F-16 pilot ‘killed by friendly fire’
A Ukrainian F-16 pilot was killed by friendly fire, an MP has claimed.
The commander of Ukraine’s air force criticised the comments, made by Ukrainian MP Mariana Bezuhla, and US experts have joined the investigation to try and find out what happened.
Lieutenant Colonel Oleksiy Mes was killed while defending Ukraine’s skies from a huge Russian aerial attack at the start of the week.
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Ms Bezuhla claimed his jet was shot down by a US-supplied Patriot missile.
In response, air force commander Mykola Oleschuk said her words were a “tool to discredit the top military leadership”.
But, the air force did not directly deny that the F-16 was hit by a Patriot missile.
“Super high-IQ revolutionaries” who are willing to work 80+ hours a week are being urged to join Elon Musk’s new cost-cutting department in Donald Trump’s incoming US government.
The X and Tesla owner will co-lead the Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
And in a post on X, the official DOGE account put out a call to arms for people to sign up and help “dismantle government bureaucracy”.
The post said: “We are very grateful to the thousands of Americans who have expressed interest in helping us at DOGE.
“We don’t need more part-time idea generators.
“We need super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting.
“If that’s you, DM this account with your CV. Elon & Vivek will review the top 1% of applicants.”
Read more:
Who is in Trump’s top team?
Trump’s cabinet signals tough stance on China
Elon Musk speaking at an event held at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Pic: AP Photo/Alex Brandon
In a reply to an interested party, Mr Musk suggested the lucky applicants would be working for free.
“Indeed, this will be tedious work, make lost of enemies & compensation is zero,” the world’s richest man wrote.
“What a great deal!”
When announcing the new department, President-elect Donald Trump said Mr Musk and Mr Ramaswamy “will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies”.
Mr Musk has previously made clear his desire to see cuts to “government waste” and in a post on his X platform suggested he could axe as many as three-quarters of the more than 400 federal departments in the US, writing: “99 is enough.”
At least 10 people have been killed after a fire broke out at a retirement home in northern Spain in the early hours of this morning, officials have said.
A further two people were seriously injured in the blaze at the residence in the town of Villafranca de Ebro in Zaragoza, according to the Spanish news website Diario Sur.
Two people remain in a critical condition following the blaze. Pic: AP
They remain in a critical condition, while several others received treatment for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at the residence – the Jardines de Villafranca – at 5am (4am UK time) on Friday.
Several residents were treated for smoke inhalation. Pic: AP
Those who were killed in the fire died from smoke inhalation, Spanish newspaper Heraldo reported.
The residence is home to 82 elderly residents.
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The blaze started in one of the rooms, Fernando Beltran, the national government’s top official in the region, told reporters.
All of the victims were elderly residents, he added.
Relatives wait for news outside the care home. Pic: AP
Fire crews, paramedics and police officers remain on site, said a spokesperson for the regional government of Aragon who confirmed the fatalities.
It took firefighters several hours to extinguish the blaze, they said.
The cause of the fire is unknown and is being investigated.
At least 10 people have been killed after a fire broke out at a retirement home in northern Spain in the early hours of this morning, officials have said.
A further two people were seriously injured in the blaze at the residence in the town of Villafranca de Ebro in Zaragoza, according to the Spanish news website Diario Sur.
Two people remain in a critical condition following the blaze. Pic: AP
They remain in a critical condition, while several others received treatment for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at the residence – the Jardines de Villafranca – at 5am (4am UK time) on Friday.
Several residents were treated for smoke inhalation. Pic: AP
Those who were killed in the fire died from smoke inhalation, Spanish newspaper Heraldo reported.
The residence is home to 82 elderly residents.
Read more from Sky News:
Mass displacement in Gaza – people unsure where to go
Donald Trump picks vaccine sceptic as health secretary
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
The blaze started in one of the rooms, Fernando Beltran, the national government’s top official in the region, told reporters.
All of the victims were elderly residents, he added.
Relatives wait for news outside the care home. Pic: AP
Fire crews, paramedics and police officers remain on site, said a spokesperson for the regional government of Aragon who confirmed the fatalities.
It took firefighters several hours to extinguish the blaze, they said.
The cause of the fire is unknown and is being investigated.
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