5 Ukrainian Rescuers Killed in Double-Tap Russian Strike on Kharkiv

Five Ukrainian emergency responders were killed and at least five others wounded in a Russian double-tap strike on Kharkiv while they were battling a fire caused by an earlier attack, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Monday.

“Five State Emergency Service rescuers were killed in Kharkiv during firefighting operations as a result of a repeated Russian strike. At least five more people were injured,” Klymenko wrote.

He added that Kyiv came under the brunt of Russia’s overnight assault, which caused widespread damage to civilian infrastructure.

“There is significant destruction of civilian facilities,” the minister said.

Kyiv authorities reported fires and damage across several districts of the capital. Among the sites hit was the Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, as well as a dormitory building, apartment blocks and private homes.

Power lines were also damaged, leaving around 140,000 consumers in northern Kyiv without electricity.

According to city officials, four people were killed and 23 others injured in the attacks.

The deaths in Kharkiv are the latest example of Russia’s use of so-called “double-tap” strikes, in which a second missile or drone attack targets first responders and civilians who rush to help after an initial impact.

In a similar incident in March 2024, two Russian ballistic missiles struck Odesa, killing 21 people, including rescuers, medics and senior police officers who had arrived at the scene after the first blast.

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Russia Strikes Civilian Vehicles, Railways, and Homes, Killing One

Russian forces intensified their attacks on civilian and logistical targets across Ukraine this weekend. In the Zaporizhzhia region, one man was killed and three others were injured after drones targeted civilian cars and residential homes in the Kushuhum community. In the Kharkiv region, a morning drone strike on the Lozova railway station injured two train operators and damaged locomotives.

In June 2026, State Emergency Service officer Anton Yarmolenko was killed in a follow-up strike while assisting victims of a massive attack on Dnipro.

Earlier incidents included the August 2023 strike on Pokrovsk in Donetsk region, where a second missile hit rescue workers and residents responding to an apartment building attack, killing 10 people.

Ukrainian officials and international rights groups have repeatedly described the tactic as a deliberate attempt to maximize casualties and terrorize civilians.