The city center is covered with debris after a Russian missile attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Saturday, May, 25, 2024. (AP/Andrii Marienko)
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Kharkiv, which is Ukraine’s second-largest city and near Russia, is practically defenseless against air attacks, writes BBC international editor Jeremy Bowen.
Two guided bombs destroyed a DIY superstore and a garden center on Saturday afternoon when it was crowded with shoppers, injuring dozens and killing at least 15 people.
“The Russians want to burn everything down. But we won’t give up,” said Andrii Kudenov, who manages one of the stores in the shopping center.
“A lot of people were in there as it’s warm now and the gardening season has begun. In the shop, there was soil and plants.”
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Amid the deadly attacks, residents carried on with life as usual: Couples walked their dogs, and cafes teemed with activity.
However, writes Bowen, “Their stoic composure cannot conceal the fact that Ukraine is in its worst crisis since the first few months after Russia’s full-scale invasion more than two years ago.”
Read more at this BBC link.
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