Russian Drone Attack Kills Four in Ukraine’s Kharkiv, Cuts Power Supply 

Rescue workers extinguish the fire of a house which was destroyed after a Russian drone strike on residential neighborhood in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, April 4, 2024. (AP)
Rescue workers extinguish the fire of a house which was destroyed after a Russian drone strike on residential neighborhood in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, April 4, 2024. (AP)
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Russian Drone Attack Kills Four in Ukraine’s Kharkiv, Cuts Power Supply 

Rescue workers extinguish the fire of a house which was destroyed after a Russian drone strike on residential neighborhood in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, April 4, 2024. (AP)
Rescue workers extinguish the fire of a house which was destroyed after a Russian drone strike on residential neighborhood in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, April 4, 2024. (AP)

A Russian drone attack struck residential buildings in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv and an energy facility in the surrounding region on Thursday, killing four people and severing power for 350,000 residents, officials said. 

Ukraine's second-largest city, which lies some 30 km (20 miles) from the Russian border, has been pounded by strikes during the 25-month war and been one of the worst afflicted as Russia has renewed its missile and drone attacks on the energy system. 

Governor Oleh Synehubov said three rescue workers had been killed in a repeat strike after they reached a residential block hit in one attack. Writing on the Telegram messaging app, he said 12 people were injured, with three in serious condition. 

Under floodlights in the night, emergency services raced to rescue a resident trapped under rubble and ladders reached up from fire trucks to shattered apartments at the top of high-rise blocks. 

"Windows, all of the glass, everything was knocked out. There's nothing left," Zhanetta Kravchenko, a 77-year-old resident, told Reuters. "We are alive, at least, and I'm grateful for that." 

Ukrainian broadcaster Suspilne reported that one of the strikes caused serious damage to apartments on three floors of a 14-storey building. It said emergency crews had been unable to work for at least an hour for fear of further strikes. 

Residential buildings, stores, a medical facility and cars were damaged in the attack, the Kharkiv prosecutor's office said on Telegram. 

Russia used at least 15 drones in the Kharkiv attacks, Synehubov said. 

Ukraine's military shot down 11 Shahed drones out of 20 launched at the country overnight, the General Staff said. 

Drones also hit the Zmiivska thermal power plant in the region, Synehubov said, keeping up pressure on an energy system that has come under repeated attack from air strikes in recent weeks. 

"In Kharkiv and areas of the region, around 350,000 consumers have been disconnected," the Ukrenergo grid operator said in a statement. 

Russian forces also hit a solar power plant in Dnipropetrovsk region, causing a fire which has since been put out, the Energy Ministry said. Some limits on energy consumption were also put in place in Dnipropetrovsk region on Thursday morning, the officials said. 

Reuters was unable to independently verify the accounts. Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians in the war in which it is focusing on capturing eastern and southern parts of Ukraine. 

An education facility, cultural center and private residence in the Dnipropetrovsk region were also hit in the overnight attacks, the region's governor said, adding that no casualties were reported. 

Kharkiv has been a frequent target of Russian drone and missile attacks. 

Russian forces last week used an aerial bomb on the city, killing one person after a missile attack on an industrial area last month killed five people. 



27 Inmates are Still at Large Following an Israeli Airstrike during the 12-day War, Iran says

In this photo taken Tuesday, June 24, 2025, rescuers search through the rubble of a damaged section of Evin Prison following an Israeli strike the day before, in Tehran, Iran. (AP Photo/Mostafa Roudaki/Mizan News Agency)
In this photo taken Tuesday, June 24, 2025, rescuers search through the rubble of a damaged section of Evin Prison following an Israeli strike the day before, in Tehran, Iran. (AP Photo/Mostafa Roudaki/Mizan News Agency)
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27 Inmates are Still at Large Following an Israeli Airstrike during the 12-day War, Iran says

In this photo taken Tuesday, June 24, 2025, rescuers search through the rubble of a damaged section of Evin Prison following an Israeli strike the day before, in Tehran, Iran. (AP Photo/Mostafa Roudaki/Mizan News Agency)
In this photo taken Tuesday, June 24, 2025, rescuers search through the rubble of a damaged section of Evin Prison following an Israeli strike the day before, in Tehran, Iran. (AP Photo/Mostafa Roudaki/Mizan News Agency)

Iran said Tuesday 27 inmates were still at large after an Israeli airstrike last month targeted Evin prison in the north of the capital, Tehran, local media reported.

The airstrikes were part of Israel’s 12-day bombardment of Iran that killed about 1,100 people. while 28 were left dead in Israel in Iranian retaliatory strikes, The Associated Press said.

Judiciary’s news website, Mizanonline, quoted spokesman Asghar Jahangir as saying 75 prisoners had escaped following the strike, of which 48 were either recaptured or voluntarily returned. He said authorities will detain the others if they don't hand themselves over.

Jahangir said the escapees were prisoners doing time for minor offenses.

Iranian officials said the Israeli strike killed 71 people, but local media reported earlier in July that 80 were left dead at the time, including prison staff, soldiers, inmates and visiting family members. Authorities also said five inmates died.

It’s unclear why Israel targeted the prison. The Israeli Defense Ministry had said that 50 aircraft dropped 100 munitions on military targets “based on high-quality and accurate intelligence from the Intelligence Branch.”

The New York-based Center for Human Rights had criticized Israel for striking the prison, seen as a symbol of repression of any opposition, saying it violated the principle of distinction between civilian and military targets.