Russian Missile Attack Kills 5 People In Izium Ukraine, Council Building Destroyed

The impact of the Russian attack on Izium, Kharkiv, Ukraine/screenshot via Instagram @zelenskyy_official

JAKARTA - The Russian attack killed five civilians and injured 55 people on Tuesday in the city of Izium, Kharkiv, Ukraine. The attack also destroyed parts of the city council building.

Russian ballistic missiles hit buildings in the city's central district, governor Syniehubov said via Telegram.

Three children were among the injured, including many local government workers and social services.

Vitaliya Kliuchanovych, a local resident, is looking for two female relatives, aged 18 and 19, who went to collect documents from the passport service.

The two women were pregnant, one of whom was among those killed.

The bodies of those who died in the attack were lying in black bags on the sidewalk.

"The maximum pressure must be put on Russia through military force, sanctions, and diplomacy to stop terror and protect lives," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in X, commenting on the attack.

One part of the newly renovated council building has completely collapsed due to the attack. All the windows were broken.

Syniehubov said there were no military facilities in the area. Another administrative building is damaged, as well as a residential block nearby.

Olena Bespala, an employee of a child protection service, was working when the attack occurred.

"The airstrike warning was only sounded when the attack occurred. And then, one second later, there was an explosion ... (There was) a puff of smoke, and everything was thrown away," he said.

Ballistic missiles usually hit targets in Ukrainian territory bordering Russia in just minutes after being detected.

Izium was occupied by Russian troops at the start of Moscow's massive invasion of Ukraine, which is now near its third anniversary, and is experiencing widespread destruction.

After the city was released, Ukrainian officials said they found a mass grave and accused Russia of war crimes, but this was denied by Moscow.