Editor's Note: The article was updated at 2:05 p.m. local time after Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported that the number of casualties rose.
Russian troops attacked a northern suburb of Kharkiv at around 11 a.m. local time, killing five civilians and wounding 16, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov said on May 19.
“(Russian troops) attacked the area where local residents were resting,” Syniehubov said, condemning the attack. A paramedic was among the wounded, and an ambulance was damaged, he added.
The attack took place in Mala Danylivka, roughly 70 kilometers southwest of the fiercely contested Vovchansk.
In a later post on Telegram, Syniehubov said Russian forces had fired two Iskander ballistic missiles in a "double-tap" strike – a common Russian tactic in which a target is struck once and then again shortly after, the second strike deliberately targeting rescue workers.
The city of Kharkiv was also under attack, but Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said all the hits were in the suburbs.
In a video address published on May 19, Syniehubov once again urged remaining residents in front-line areas to evacuate.
Moscow has intensified its attacks on Kharkiv in recent months, forcing many local residents living in and around the city to flee their hometown. The attacks have further spiked after Russia launched its new offensive in Kharkiv Oblast’s border areas, killing civilians and targeting energy infrastructure.
In April, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said that Russian attacks destroyed "almost all" of the critical energy infrastructure in Kharkiv.
The attacks destroyed a thermal power plant and all the electrical substations in Ukraine's second-biggest city, according to Terekhov.
A day earlier, Russian troops attacked six were wounded by a Russian KAB attack, Syniehubov said. The victims included two children aged 13 and 16, he added.
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