Russian airstrike on Ukraine park 'pure terrorism'

Drones, bombs and missiles have rained down on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv in one of Russia's most intense bombardments of Ukraine's second biggest city.

A 30-year-old woman was killed on Saturday, Kharkiv's military governor, Oleh Syniehubov, wrote on Telegram. In the evening, a 62-year-old man also died in hospital from his injuries.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said more than 40 people were injured in the attack.

"This makes no military sense. It is pure terrorism," he wrote on social media platform X.

Russia dropped four glide bombs on the city centre, damaging two buildings belonging to a children's railway, train carriages and two houses, Syniehubov said. He said the area was a popular place for families to spend time on the weekend.

On Saturday morning, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported three deaths in Russian airstrikes on the city, which also hit residential buildings.

He said the strikes injured 21 people, including a baby and a 14-year-old girl. According to Ukrainian sources, 53 drones, four glide bombs and a missile struck various locations in the earlier attack. Terekhov said the attack was the most severe that the city had experienced since the war began more than three years ago.

Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, is located close to the Russian border and has repeatedly been the target of Russian attacks.

Zelenskiy again highlighted Ukraine's need for strengthened air defence and directly appealed to the United States.

"We urgently need positive signals from the United States - concrete signals regarding air defence systems. We are still waiting for a response to our request to purchase systems that can help - concrete signals, not words," he said in his nightly address.

"I would like to thank the European countries for the supplies. We must also achieve results in the joint production of air defence systems and missiles for them - this is absolutely essential for our whole Europe," he said.

"Only time separates us from that result, and what matters most is shortening that time."

Zelenskiy also renewed his calls for increased international pressure, stating that "no form of pressure on Russia can be eased".

"The Russians are preparing to continue the war and are ignoring all peace proposals. They must be held accountable for this."

Meanwhile Russia and Ukraine are wrangling over the implementation of the prisoner exchange and return of 6000 dead soldiers agreed on Monday in Istanbul.

Moscow's chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, said on Telegram on Saturday that the Russian side was waiting at the handover point with 1212 frozen bodies in refrigerators ready to begin the initiative, but the Ukrainian envoys were absent.

In addition, he said a list of 640 detainees had been handed over to Ukraine for the latest planned prisoner exchange. The other remains were also said to be on their way.

The Defence Ministry released a video showing white bags, allegedly containing the bodies, being transported in lorries.

Medinsky accused Ukraine of not honouring the agreement and delaying the prisoner swap.

The Ukrainian co-ordination staff responded that the timing of the handover had not been agreed upon but was unilaterally set by the Russians.

In a statement on Telegram, the staff referred to "dirty games" and called on the Russian side to return to constructive work.

The implementation of the agreements could take place "in the coming days," the staff in Kiev said. At the same time, Ukraine rejected Russian accusations that the exchange of prisoners and the handover of the bodies were being delayed.

with AP