Kharkiv has never seen such devastation: 85% of the rubble after Russian attacks has been cleared in the city center

After the missile strike on January 2, search and rescue services worked around the clock in the central part of Kharkiv. Six victims have already been identified, dozens of houses were destroyed and a hospital was damaged

Search and rescue operations continue in Kharkiv at the site of the missile strikes that Russian troops launched on the central part of the city on January 2 and 5. As of January 8, specialists have managed to clear about 85% of the rubble. This was reported by the chairman, Igor Terekhov.

According to the chairman, six victims have already been identified. Work at the scene of the tragedy does not stop day or night.

“As of January 8, six people who died have been identified by DNA. Search and rescue operations do not stop for a minute, regardless of the time of day. We have involved heavy equipment, about 30 units of municipal equipment are working. State Emergency Service employees, forensic experts, National Police employees, and municipal workers are working to complete search and rescue operations,” the chairman noted.

As a result of the strikes, at least 49 houses in the central part of Kharkiv suffered significant damage. The blast wave broke out more than 1,300 windows, and one of the city’s hospitals was also seriously damaged. Igor Terekhov emphasized that the scale of the destruction is unprecedented for Kharkiv since the beginning of the full-scale war.

“The destruction is terrible, I want to emphasize that Kharkiv has not known such destruction since the beginning of the war, which we received on January 2,” the chairman said.

On the afternoon of January 2, the Russian army struck the center of Kharkiv with two ballistic missiles. At the time of the attack, there was no air raid warning in the city, and monitoring channels did not warn of the threat. According to the State Emergency Service, a commercial and office building and part of the entrance to a four-story residential building were destroyed.

The head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, Oleg Synegubov, reported that most of the victims received explosive injuries, wounds and cuts from glass. Several people were diagnosed with acute stress reactions, including a 6-month-old boy. In total, 31 people were injured as a result of the shelling.

The chairman also noted that houses on Sumska and Mironosytska streets suffered significant damage – hundreds of windows were blown out, and a hospital was damaged. According to preliminary information, the strikes were carried out by two Iskander missiles. The bodies of the deceased were being pulled out from under the rubble. As of the evening of January 5, six deaths were reported.

Amidst intensified attacks on the city, on January 5, Russian forces launched five more ballistic missile strikes on Kharkiv, primarily targeting energy infrastructure. Igor Terekhov reported this, stressing that the scale of the destruction was extremely serious.