War in Ukraine: 30 injured in Russian bombing in Kharkiv, 10 drones shot down… an update on the situation

Au moins 41 personnes blessées après une attaque russe sur un immeuble résidentiel à Kharkiv, en Ukraine. MAXPPP – SERGEY KOZLOV

Tous les jours, Midi Libre fait le point sur la situation en Ukraine. Ce dimanche 15 septembre 2024, découvrez les dernières actualités autour de ce conflit.

Air Force says it has shot down 10 Russian drones, 1 missile

Ukraine's air defense units have destroyed 10 of the 14 drones that Russia launched overnight from Saturday to Sunday toward its territory, as well as one missile, the Ukrainian Air Force said. Russia, the army said on the Telegram messaging app, launched two Iskander M ballistic missiles and a Kh-59 air-guided missile towards the Odessa region in the south of the country, which was destroyed.

The military did not say whether it had successfully intercepted the Iskander missiles or whether there was any damage. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia has launched about 30 missiles of various types, more than 800 guided aerial bombs and nearly 300 attack drones against Ukraine over the past week.

Russian shelling injures at least 30 in Kharkiv

At least 30 people, including three children, were injured on Sunday in a shelling that hit a high-rise apartment building in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, Ukrainian authorities said “Rescue operations continue in Kharkiv”, Ukrainian authorities said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Telegram messenger.“A Russian airstrike. An ordinary residential building, a multi-story building, was damaged. There is a fire and rubble between the 9th and 12th floors,”, he added. Volodymyr Zelensky published photos showing smoke and flames coming from the windows of a multi-story building, all of which were blown out.

Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synehubov said civilian infrastructure was also damaged. “The world must help defend Ukraine from Russian warplanes, from the dozens of guided bombs that kill Ukrainians every day. It is possible to put an end to this terror“, Zelensky implored. Kharkiv, one of Ukraine's largest cities and a key industrial center, is located near the Russian border and is regularly targeted by bombs, missiles and drones.

Ukraine wants to be allowed to use more powerful weapons supplied by the West in order to inflict greater damage inside Russia and thus reduce Moscow's attack capacity. Russia denies intentionally targeting civilians, even though thousands have died in its strikes since invading Ukraine in 2022.

Russia to try to end conflict “before 2026”

Although Pyongyang denies any involvement, a Conflict Armament Research investigation has confirmed that North Korean missiles produced in 2023 are being used in Ukraine. Budanov also noted an increase in the production of Iskander missiles and gliding aerial bombs by Russia, which is using them massively against Ukrainian targets.

Despite these difficulties, he believes that Russia may seek to end the war "before 2026" to avoid economic and military weakening linked to sanctions and losses on the front. He urged the West not to fear an escalation of the conflict and to continue to support Ukraine militarily, saying that Ukrainians, despite fatigue, will continue to fight for their country.