A high-rise building caught fire in Kharkiv after a Shahed strike; casualties reported
As a result of a strike by a Russian Shahed-type drone on a residential building in the Saltivskyi district of Kharkiv, a large fire broke out, engulfing the top three floors of a five-storey apartment block.
According to the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, Oleh Syniehubov, residents of the upper floors managed to escape, but the number of casualties continues to rise. At present, at least three people are known to be receiving medical assistance, including a 57-year-old man.
Units of the State Emergency Service and emergency medical teams are working at the impact site. The situation is further complicated by damage to the city’s energy infrastructure: following strikes on TPP-5 and two substations, a state of emergency has been declared in Kharkiv. As a result, 105,000 consumers have been left without heat supply.
Rescue operations are ongoing, with specialists attempting to localise the fire and assist all residents of the damaged building. Authorities are coordinating efforts to provide people with temporary accommodation and heating through established support centres.
In Donetsk region, a DTEK repair crew returning to base after replacing a power pole came under attack by a Russian drone.
In Kyiv, as a result of Russian shelling on 3 February, 1,176 buildings remain without heating.
