Russia attacks Kharkiv, two weeks after life began to stabilize.
Russian artillery hit the city of Kharkiv for the first time in two weeks, just as life in Ukraine’s second city was beginning to return to normal as Russian troops withdrew from its suburban towns and villages.
Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Synehubov said at least nine people had been killed and 17 injured in the attacks in the northern part of the city.
The predominantly Russian-speaking town near the border between the two countries was heavily attacked during the first days of the war, as Russian forces tried to take control but they were pushed back to the outskirts.
The Russians sent artillery and rockets into the city, in one case destroying the regional administration building. In the afternoon, a shell crater was thrown on Otakara Yarosha Street, in front of a block of flats, from which the windows on all five floors were destroyed.
Police at the scene said they did not know how many people had died there.
A steady influx of residents had begun to return to their homes in the city. Several cafes and restaurants were open, people were walking in the city parks on Thursday morning and this week the subway also started operating again for the first time since the invasion.
In recent weeks, Kharkiv has been a kind of bomb shelter, with thousands living in underground places.
After Russia failed in its attacks on Kiev and Kharkiv in the early days of the war, Moscow has focused most of its efforts on a bloody offensive to gain more territory in the Donbas region.
But Thursday’s attacks raised fears that Kharkiv may still be on the agenda.