A drone attack kills four people in Kharkiv

Russian forces fired drones at two apartment buildings and a power plant in Ukraine’s second-largest city, killing four people, local authorities said Thursday, as the Kremlin’s forces apparently set in motion their strategy for the coming months of war by escalating the bombardment of civilian areas.

Shahed drones smashed into two apartment buildings in Kharkiv, near the Russian border, which has frequently been targeted during more than two years of war.

Other drones targeted the power grid.

The Kremlin’s forces in recent months have stepped up their aerial barrages of Ukraine, hitting urban areas.

The approximately 1,000-kilometre front line is largely deadlocked, but Kyiv officials say Moscow’s troops have recently been probing for Ukrainian weaknesses on the front line ahead of an expected large-scale Russian offensive in the summer.

An Associated Press video of the Kharkiv attack shows firefighters battling blazing houses in the dark when the roar of an approaching second drone grows louder.

The drone explodes nearby, sending up an orange fireball, and rescue workers with flashlights dash to help their injured colleagues lying on the ground amid embers and debris.

“Where are ambulances?” shouts one first responder as they carry away the injured on fire blankets.

The Russian strikes hit a multistorey building in Kharkiv twice in quick succession, killing three first responders, local authorities said. Six people were wounded at that location.

Another 14-storey building was hit by a drone, killing a 69-year-old woman.