Kharkiv Clinic Bombed by Russia’s Newest Guided Weapon, 1 Killed

A Russian airstrike hit a medical clinic in Kharkiv on Friday, killing one person and injuring at least 14 others, including a 12-year-old girl, Ukrainian officials said.

Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, sits near the Russian border and has been a frequent target of airstrikes since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.

The attack happened around 11:30 a.m. in the city’s Industrialnyi district. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said the strike was carried out with a guided aerial bomb, known as a KAB.

Emergency workers said the bomb destroyed the third floor of the clinic and caused part of the roof to collapse. A fire broke out but was quickly put out. Rescue operations are still underway.

The Interior Ministry said the 12-year-old girl suffered an acute stress reaction. Authorities also said nine private homes and two cars were damaged by the blast.

As of Friday afternoon, three people were still unaccounted for. Terekhov said rescue teams are searching the rubble and fear the missing people may be trapped underneath.

The regional prosecutor’s office launched an investigation, calling the strike a possible war crime.

According to early reports from the regional prosecutor’s office, the bomb was a UMPB D-5 – a newer type of guided bomb – dropped from a Russian Su-34 jet flying from Russia’s Belgorod region. Officials said Russia used this type of bomb on Kharkiv for the first time just a day earlier.

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The new bomb weighs about 250 kilograms (550 pounds), is made with thicker metal than older models, and causes more damage, prosecutors said.

Just a day earlier, another Russian strike hit central Kharkiv, injuring at least 33 people, including four children. That attack, also involving two guided bombs, struck the city’s Shevchenkivskyi district – one bomb hit a civilian business, while the other exploded near an apartment building, setting 15 parked cars on fire.