Five people die in a mine explosion in the Kharkiv area of Ukraine - Gov

In the eastern Kharkiv region of Ukraine, a Russian mine struck a vehicle carrying five people—two of them were children—killing them, the governor announced on Monday.

“A car hit an enemy mine, killing a 53-year-old man, a 64-year-old woman, a 25-year-old woman, a five-year-old boy, and a three-month-old baby,” Governor Oleg Synyegubov wrote on social media.

Russian forces have been repeatedly aiming their weapons at Kharkiv; on May 10, they began a significant ground offensive in the area.

According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the goal of the attack in northeastern Ukraine was to establish a “buffer zone” that would shield Russia’s border region, Belgorod, from artillery strikes.

During the first few days of the main ground attack in the area, Russian forces captured several Ukrainian border villages and drove thousands of people from their homes, marking their largest territorial gains in 18 months.

Officials claim that since Washington largely relaxed limits on deploying US-donated weaponry to strike within Russia, the push has halted.

AFP