(RepublicanReport.org) – It’s been nearly two years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin’s military heads have consistently targeted civilian sites as part of an apparent strategy to weaken the country’s resolve to resist his efforts to reclaim and install a pro-Russia regime there. A recent report indicated that Russian forces launched a strike against Ukrainian apartment buildings, injuring several civilians.
On Wednesday, January 17, Kharkiv regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov posted a statement on his Telegram page advising that Russia fired two Soviet-era S-300 long-range surface-to-air missiles at Kharkiv, a city in northeastern Ukraine the night prior. The missiles struck two apartment buildings and a private medical facility, damaging the facades of roughly 20 structures and destroying 14 cars.
Sadly, Syniehubov reported that the missile strike injured 17 civilians, including a 31-year-old man and 16 women ranging in age from 38 to 90. Additionally, first responders evacuated about 30 individuals.
Thirteen of the victims remained hospitalized as of Wednesday morning, local time. A 43-year-old woman with a penetrating wound was listed in critical condition. Likewise, a 39-year-old woman was in serious condition. Medical workers were able to stabilize the other people injured in the missile strike.
Syniehubov reported in a separate post that nearly 30,000 people had been evacuated from the de-occupied territories of Kharkiv Oblast over the last 16 months, 3,637 of them children. He also noted that 3,877 people, including 682 children, from Kupiansk, a district within Kharkiv with a population of roughly 130,000.
The governor concluded his remarks by urging families with children to evacuate from Kharkiv Oblast. He said the government would provide temporary housing, humanitarian assistance, and legal support.
Ironically, The Kyiv Independent published an op-ed the day before the missile strike discussing the long-term impact of Ukraine’s mounting mental health crisis resulting from months of war. Freelance journalist David Kirichenko warned readers that “the impact of the war [extended] beyond physical damage” since it “profoundly traumatizes” society as a whole — a situation that will impact future generations of Ukrainians.
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