The entrance of a multi-storey residential building has been partially destroyed, the military governor of the region, Oleh Syniehubov, wrote on Telegram.
Thirty residents were evacuated overnight due to the risk of the building collapsing, he added.
Nearby buildings, vehicles and the entrance to an underground train station were also damaged.
Russia again used powerful guided bombs to attack Ukraine’s second largest city, with further damages to buildings, businesses, vehicles and another train station recorded in another centrally located neighbourhood.
Kharkiv is located close to the Russian border and has come repeatedly under attack since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
Germany’s Merz urges Europe to show strength ahead of new Trump term
Strength
Germany’s conservative chancellor candidate, Friedrich Merz, has advocated for Europe to show strength and take a tough stance during Donald Trump’s second term as U.S. president.
“This will make an impression in America,’’ Merz told public broadcaster ZDF’s talk show hosted by Maybrit Illner on Thursday evening.
He said Europe must speak with one voice.
“Donald Trump is not impressed by weakness, only by strength, even opposition.’’
This, he said, is how Europe could deal with the new government in Washington.
Merz is eyeing Germany’s top political job after the coalition of his rival, Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz, collapsed.
Merz and others want Scholz to call for an immediate vote of confidence in his now minority government and snap elections. Scholz so far is sticking to his call for a confidence vote in January.
The leader of the Christian Democrats added that Germany must do more for its own security.
The business model of importing cheaply, exporting expensively, and letting the U.S. pay for security is now over, Merz said.
But he said “that’s not so dramatic. We need to adjust to this, manage it, and take the necessary consequences.’’
Merz also discussed Germany’s energy sector during the talk show, saying that wind power is a transitional technology that should be phased out because the turbines are “ugly.’’
“I even believe that if we do things right, one day we can dismantle the wind turbines because they are ugly and because they do not fit into the landscape.
“This is a transitional technology,’’ Merz added.
Instead, he wants to look into testing nuclear fusion in Germany. This sector should not be left to China, he added.
Merz is also thinking about reactivating Germany’s nuclear power plants, though he doubts this would be viable since the plants have already been decommissioned.
Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in March 2011, the German government decided to phase out nuclear power.
After Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the government decided to delay the decommissioning of three plants, which were eventually taken offline in April 2023. (dpa/NAN)
