Odesa, Kharkiv Endure Deadly Strikes As Ukraine Hits Russia’s Kursk Region

(RFE/RL) — A Russian missile attack on the Odesa region on April 10 killed four people, including one child, the regional governor said, after Russian troops resumed the shelling of Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, killing a teenager and wounding two others.

Governor Oleh Kiper said a man who had his legs amputated was among the injured in the evening attack on the Odesa region.

He added that the information available indicated that Russian forces used Iskander-M ballistic missiles in the attack, which also damaged transport infrastructure.

The regional prosecutor’s office said later on April 10 that the attack occurred around 6:20 p.m. local time and the dead included a 10-year-old girl. It raised the number of people injured from seven to 14.

In Russia’s Kursk region, the governor said a Ukrainian drone fired a rocket at a civilian car, killing three people, including two children.

Governor Roman Starovoyt said several settlements in two districts of the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine, had been shelled, damaging power lines.

Earlier in the Kharkiv region, the Russian military shelled the Lyptsi and Mala Danylivka areas, killing a 14-year-old girl, Governor Oleh Synyehubov said on Telegram.

“At least two more people were wounded; a 33-year-old employee of a pharmacy, who received shrapnel injuries, and a 16-year-old boy were hospitalized,” Synyehubov wrote, adding that the Russian military also launched two guided aerial bombs on the settlement of Vovchansk.

“As a result of the strikes, a polyclinic was completely destroyed. At the moment, we know of one victim: a 34-year-old man with shrapnel wounds was hospitalized,” he said.

Russian attacks on Kharkiv, which is close to the Russian border, have intensified in recent weeks. Mayor Ihor Terekhov said recently that Russian troops often fire S-300s at Kharkiv from the Belgorod region of Russia, and these missiles reach the city in 40 seconds. Iranian-made Shahed drones are also being used more and more often.

Ukraine is struggling to protect its cities from incoming Russian missiles, drones, and bombs amid shortages of crucial ammunition and air-defense systems.

The latest attacks came a day after Zelenskiy visited the Kharkiv region to inspect defensive fortifications and issue another appeal for more military aid from Ukraine’s Western backers.

“The Kharkiv region is a very important area. We have to be prepared. And the Russians must see that we are ready to defend ourselves,” Zelensky said in a statement on the president’s website.

Synyehubov said that the fortifications consist of an extensive system of trenches, dugouts, and other types of shelters. Blockades being set up in the region include rows of concrete pyramids known as dragon’s teeth and anti-tank ditches.

Earlier on April 10, the Ukrainian Air Force said its defense systems shot down 14 out of the 17 drones launched by Russia at the Odesa and Mykolayiv regions, adding that in Odesa, two Russian cruise missiles were also destroyed.

In its evening assessment on April 10, the Ukrainian military said that its forces are holding positions on the left bank of the Dnieper River and are deterring Russian troops near Krasnohorivka, which lies directly on the front line in Donetsk Province.

There were 47 combat clashes, six missile strikes, and 65 air strikes during the day, the assessment said. In addition, Russia used aviation to shell Ukrainian troop positions and settlements.

Separately, the Ukrainian Navy said a Russian Ka-27 helicopter was destroyed in Moscow-occupied Crimea.

“Minus [one] Russian Ka-27 in Crimea. Been looking for something. Found it,” Ukrainian Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk wrote on Facebook on April 10, without giving further details.

“I am not yet ready to provide verified information on this matter,” Pletenchuk later told RFE/RL.

Russia did not comment on the Ukrainian claim, which could not be independently verified. The Ka-27 helicopter is an anti-submarine aircraft developed during Soviet times.

In February, the Ukrainian military reported the destruction of a Russian K-52 attack helicopter in Avdiyivka area of Donetsk.

Elsewhere, Switzerland said on April 10 that a high-level peace conference it plans to host on the war in Ukraine will take place June 15-16 at a resort near Luzern.

The Swiss government said talks on arranging the conference involved the European Union, the G7, and envoys from the Global South including China, but not Russia.

“This is a first step in a process toward a lasting peace,” Swiss President Viola Amherd said, but acknowledged that no peace plan will be signed.

Russia has said the conference is doomed to fail without Moscow’s participation.