President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky have said tha a Russian “guided bomb” struck a blood transfusion facility in northeastern Ukraine, killing one person and injuring several others.
The number of those killed or injured in the attack that took place in the Kharkiv region on Saturday was not disclosed by Volodymyr Zelensky.
“This war crime alone says everything about Russian aggression,” he said.
Russia has made no remarks. It has previously refuted any claims that it has committed war crimes or targeted civilians.
The BBC has not been able to verify the report.
Two months in, Ukraine’s big offensive is slower than it hoped
Saturday night’s attack occurred in the Kypiansk area.
The city of Kupiansk and nearby settlements were seized by Russian troops in the first few days of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022.
The area was liberated during a Ukrainian counter-offensive last September.
In a post on social media, Mr Zelensky described the perpetrators as “beasts”.
“Defeating terrorists is a matter of honour for everyone who values life,” he added.
President Zelensky reported that on Saturday, Russia conducted a missile attack on an aeronautical company operated by the Motor Sich group in the western Khmelnytskyi region.
These Russian strikes occurred in the context of Moscow’s accusation against Ukraine of targeting a Russian tanker in the Black Sea with a drone attack, resulting in damage to the engine room of the Sig tanker in the Kerch Strait. Fortunately, there were no injuries among the 11 crew members on board during this incident, marking the second sea drone attack within two days.
Russian tanker hit in attack near Crimea
The Kerch Strait connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, separating Crimea – Ukraine’s peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014 – and Russia’s Taman peninsula.
Ukraine has not publicly commented. But a Ukrainian security service source told the BBC a sea drone had been used.