Russian Strikes Kill Two in Ukraine's Kharkiv: Governor

Russian strikes on Kharkiv killed two people and wounded six on Tuesday in the latest deadly attack on the city in northeast Ukraine, the regional governor said.

The situation has been worsening under Russian bombardment in Kharkiv, which lies near the Russian border and is Ukraine's second largest city.

"According to preliminary information, two people were killed and six were wounded in the strikes on Kharkiv," governor Oleg Synyegubov said.

He earlier said that Russia "attacked Kharkiv with guided aerial bombs."

Kharkiv, which almost fell to Russia at the start of its 2022 invasion, had a pre-war population of 1.4 million people.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) issued a statement on Tuesday, describing a worsening situation in Kharkiv, with an increasingly anxious population subjected to regular air raids.

It said recent attacks have caused "extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and led to a sharp increase in casualties among the local population."

The city now regularly suffers "severe power outages, interruptions in water and heating supply, and a complete halt of trams for public transportation."

It quoted a Kharkiv-based medic, Oleksandr Volkov, who described an increasingly distressed population.

"The people of Kharkiv are increasingly unsettled, with dwindling confidence in the future, particularly in the wake of frequent shelling recently," Volkov said.

"Living conditions have become increasingly uncomfortable, marking a significant deterioration compared to just six months ago," he said.

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He said "air raid sirens sound day and night", with locals "experiencing heightened anxiety and distress."

Volkov also said people in Kharkiv are increasingly struggling to access medication.

"People are unable to afford medical supplies for two main reasons: lack of funds and poor logistics exacerbated by the ongoing war," he said.

A survey by the IRC found that 54 percent of people in Kharkiv are unable to get prescribed medication due to a lack of funds and medicine shortages.