19 dead and 54 injured after attack on hypermarket in Kharkiv

The search and rescue operations following the Russian attack on the Epitsentr hypermarket in Kharkiv have ended, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on May 29.

According to Klymenko, 19 people were killed in the Russian attack on the hypermarket on May 25 – 12 men and 7 women, including a 17-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl. According to reports, 54 people were injured.

Russian forces reportedly attacked the Kharkiv hypermarket with two guided aerial bombs. A third bomb, which had not exploded, was later found at the attack site.

Sixteen relatives of people missing after the attack have submitted biological samples for examination, said Klymenko. A total of 100 tests were carried out.

“It was not easy. Special equipment was needed around the clock to search for the dead in the ashes. With the help of a DNA laboratory, they were quickly identified,” said the minister.

Due to their proximity to the Russian border, Kharkiv and the surrounding oblast are particularly vulnerable to guided bombings, as these are fired from aircraft in Russian airspace.

According to Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Russia has dropped nearly 10,000 guided bombs over Ukraine since the beginning of the year.

What significance does the Russian attack on the printing plant in Kharkiv have for the Ukrainian publishing industry?

The aftermath of the Russian attack on the Faktor Druk printing house in Kharkiv on May 23 shocked Ukrainians: mountains of charred Ukrainian books covered the blackened ground. The attack had destroyed more than a quarter of the company’s warehouse. The 4,000 square meter building belongs to the Faktor Group.