Russian missile strikes Kharkiv mall, injuring 47

Russian missile strikes on a shopping mall and events complex in Kharkiv injured at least 47 people, including five children, on Sunday. Ukrainian officials reported the attack. Russia, earlier in the day, accused Kyiv of launching one of the largest drone assaults since the conflict began, targeting power plants and an oil refinery. Meanwhile, Moscow’s forces made further advances towards a vital town in eastern Ukraine.

Following the Kharkiv strike, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged allies to permit Kyiv to use Western-supplied missiles deeper into Russian territory to mitigate the military threat. The conflict, now at a critical juncture, sees Russia pushing an offensive in eastern Ukraine while trying to expel Ukrainian forces that breached its western border on August 6.

Last week saw Russia conduct the heaviest airstrikes of the conflict, targeting Ukraine’s energy facilities. Moscow, which denies targeting civilians, claims that damaging Ukraine’s energy infrastructure is a legitimate military objective. Since February 2022, drone and missile attacks from Russia have killed thousands of civilians.

Ukraine, bolstered by a growing domestic drone industry, has increased its attacks on Russian energy, military, and transport infrastructure. Kyiv continues to pressure the United States and other allies for permission to use more powerful Western weapons to inflict greater damage inside Russia and diminish Moscow’s capacity to strike Ukraine.

In response to the Kharkiv attack, Zelenskiy stated on Telegram that “all the necessary forces of the world” must be mobilised to stop the terror. He highlighted that this requires courage from world leaders to provide Ukraine with the necessary defensive tools.

In Kharkiv, rescue workers and volunteers took injured civilians to ambulances amidst shattered glass and debris. Civilians sought refuge in metro stations.

Earlier, Russian officials reported that air defence units had destroyed 158 drones launched by Ukraine, with debris causing fires at the Moscow Oil Refinery and the Konakovo Power Station in Tver. Kyiv has not commented on the drone barrage, and Russia rarely reveals the full extent of damage from Ukrainian air attacks.

Zelenskiy also mentioned that last week Russia used 160 missiles, 780 guided aerial bombs, and 400 attack drones against Ukrainian cities and troops. He called for long-range strikes on Russian missile launch sites, the destruction of military logistics, and joint efforts to shoot down missiles and drones.

Kyiv’s allies remain cautious about how Russian President Vladimir Putin might react if their weapons are used against targets deep inside Russian territory. Russia’s TASS state news agency cited Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying Moscow might revise its nuclear doctrine in response to Western actions. Ryabkov did not provide details on the potential changes.

Russia’s current nuclear doctrine, outlined by President Putin in 2020, allows for the use of nuclear weapons in the event of a nuclear attack or a conventional attack threatening the state’s existence. Russia has previously considered changes, and some military analysts have urged Putin to lower the threshold for nuclear use to deter Western adversaries.

In eastern Ukraine, heavy fighting continues with Russian forces advancing towards Pokrovsk, an important military hub and transport link. Despite Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region last month, intended to force a redeployment of Russian troops, the pressure on Ukrainian forces in the east remains high.

Russia’s defence ministry stated that its forces had captured two more settlements in the Donetsk region, including Ptyche, located 21 km southeast of Pokrovsk. Ukrainian officials reported at least three deaths and nine injuries from Russian shelling in Kurakhove, about 35 km south of Pokrovsk. Ukraine’s army chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, described the situation around Russia’s main line of attack in eastern Ukraine as “difficult”.

On Sunday, Ukrainian forces shelled Russia’s southern Belgorod region, injuring 11 people, including two children who were seriously hurt, according to regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.