Ukrainian Forces: "Russian Airborne Troops Enter City After Kharkiv Bombing"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Russian airborne troops reportedly entered the city after a large-scale airstrike on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, according to the Ukrainian military. The Russian forces have shifted their operation to indiscriminate shelling of civilian residential areas and other parts of the city, raising concerns that if Kharkiv falls, the offensive on the capital Kyiv will intensify further.

According to AFP on the 1st (local time), the Ukrainian military stated via Telegram that "Russian airborne troops entered Kharkiv around 8:30 PM and attacked a local hospital." It is known that the Russian airborne troops entered the city immediately after the Russian military carried out indiscriminate bombing on civilian residential areas and government offices in Kharkiv.

The Ukrainian military reported that fierce clashes are ongoing between Russian forces and Ukrainian troops throughout the city. Since the outbreak of the war, Russian forces have launched airstrikes and ground attacks on major Ukrainian cities including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mariupol, and Odesa, but have continuously failed to occupy them due to stronger-than-expected resistance from Ukrainian forces.

Kharkiv, with a population of about 1.4 million, is Ukraine's second-largest city and a strategic key point located on the main arterial road from eastern Russia to the capital Kyiv. Although Russian forces launched an offensive on Kharkiv immediately after the outbreak, they failed to capture the city. The offensive, which had briefly paused after negotiations with the Ukrainian government since the 26th, reportedly intensified again starting from this day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.