On June 14, a military strike by Russian forces in the Kharkiv region resulted in the deaths of five rescue workers and a city council employee. The incident occurred during the aftermath of an earlier attack, highlighting the dangers faced by emergency responders in conflict zones.
According to investigations by local authorities, the initial assault took place around 11:00 PM when Russian troops targeted the Kholodnohirs’kyi district using a drone, reportedly of the “Geran-2” type. The attack ignited a fire in a non-residential building, prompting a response from emergency services.
As rescue teams worked to extinguish the fire and recover from the initial strike, they were subjected to a second wave of attacks. Russian forces launched four additional missile strikes on the site where the rescue operation was underway.
This coordinated attack resulted in the deaths of four firefighters and a member of the Kharkiv city council’s Department of Emergency Situations, identified as Oleksiy Dorozhkin. Six other rescue workers sustained injuries of varying severity, and three civilians were also affected.
In a separate incident on the same night, a drone strike occurred near residential buildings in the Shevchenkivskyi district, injuring a woman and damaging multiple apartment buildings and vehicles due to the blast wave and debris.
Officials have condemned the actions of Russian forces, describing them as a cynical tactic that deliberately targets emergency responders. The Kharkiv regional prosecutor’s office has initiated pre-trial investigations into these incidents under Article 438 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code, which addresses war crimes.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that five rescue workers lost their lives while combating the fire caused by the initial attack, further underscoring the risks faced by those in emergency services during ongoing hostilities.
A recent Russian attack in Kharkiv resulted in the deaths of five rescue workers and a city council employee during a rescue operation. The incident underscores the perilous conditions emergency responders face in conflict areas.