UPDATES WITH NUMBER OF INJURIES, DEATHS; REVISES HEADLINE, LEDE; EDITS THROUGHOUT
By Elena Teslova, Zehra Nur Duz and Aliia Raimbekova
MOSCOW / ANKARA / KYIV (AA) - At least four people were killed and many others injured in Russia's attack on a hypermarket in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, officials said.
Two guided air bombs hit the store, resulting in 38 injuries, Oleh Synyehubov, the head of the military administration in the Kharkiv region, said on his social media account. Sixteen others remain missing.
Synyehubov said the strike put the hypermarket on fire, which spread to the area of over 15,000 square meters.
Earlier, Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov said two aviation bombs were dropped, accusing Russia of "intentionally targeting" the civilian facility.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack as "madness," and complained about lack of air defense systems, urging international partners to provide them as soon as possible.
“We need a significant enhancement of air defense and sufficient capabilities ... this is a task that must be accomplished and can only be accomplished together with the world,” he added.
The Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office said the strikes were carried out from Russia's Belgorod region. "Rescue operations are ongoing. Prosecutors and police investigators are working at the scene ... criminal proceedings have been initiated," the prosecutor's office said.
The Russian army also struck the Central Park in Kharkiv, mayor Terekhov said in a separate statement. "One more strike has just hit the Central Park. Reports of casualties and destruction are being clarified," he said.
Russia is yet to comment on Ukraine's claims.