Massive explosion in Kharkiv city center

Ukraine reports that central Kharkiv was bombed by Russia. A military convoy is rolling towards Kyiv.

Berlin/Kyiv/Moscow. There is still no diplomatic solution in sight in the Ukraine war. Negotiations between delegates from Ukraine and Russia ended on Monday without a breakthrough. On the night of Tuesday, satellite images showed a huge Russian military convoy moving towards Kyiv – it is over 65 kilometers long. The Russian Defense Ministry has also announced that it has put the nuclear power’s deterrent weapons on increased alert. On Tuesday, Russia announced that it would continue the war until Vladimir Putin’s goals are achieved.

There was heavy fighting between Ukrainian and Russian troops around Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city. There had been dead and injured in attacks on Monday. Video recordings showed a heavy explosion in the middle of the city center on Tuesday. In the eastern Ukrainian region of Sumy, 70 soldiers are said to have been killed by multiple rocket launchers. Kyiv is also still under fire. According to state information, the southern city of Mariupol in the separatist region of Donetsk was almost without power supply as of Tuesday morning due to an air strike.

Massive explosion in Kharkiv
In Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine, there is said to have been a heavy explosion on Tuesday morning. A video shared on Twitter by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, among others, shows a detonation in a central square in the city after cars were still driving shortly before the impact. An administration building is said to have been destroyed, according to the ministry.

“Russia is waging war in violation of international humanitarian law,” Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry tweeted. It accused the neighboring country of killing civilians and destroying civilian infrastructure. This could not be verified independently. Russia denies the allegation. Nothing was initially known about victims. The ministry went on to write: “Russia’s main target is large cities, which are now being shelled by its missiles.”

The Russian troops had continued to advance on the second largest city in the country on Tuesday night. According to Ukrainian sources, eleven were killed and dozens injured in attacks on Monday. 87 homes were destroyed. Russia claims not to attack civilian objects.