Russian guided bombs hit two Kharkiv districts overnight, injuring multiple children
Russian forces struck the Kyivskyi and Saltivskyi districts of Kharkiv with guided aerial bombs (KABs) overnight on 28 September 2026, hitting a multi-story residential building in Saltivskyi and damaging apartment buildings in Kyivskyi. Multiple civilians were injured, including several children. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov and Kharkiv Oblast head Oleh Syniehubov reported the attack and its casualties.
Key points
- Russian forces struck the Kyivskyi and Saltivskyi districts of Kharkiv with KAB guided aerial bombs overnight on 28 September.
- In Saltivskyi, a KAB hit the second floor of a multi-story residential building, destroying or damaging two floors.
- Residential buildings in the Kyivskyi district were also damaged.
- Reported casualty figures rose during the day: at various points 2, 8, 9, 11, 14 and 16 injured were cited in Saltivskyi, with the latest counts including 8 children.
- Three children initially identified among the injured: a 12-year-old girl, an 8-year-old boy, and a 3-year-old girl.
- Syniehubov said no seriously wounded casualties were reported.
- Information was reported by Mayor Ihor Terekhov and Kharkiv OVA head Oleh Syniehubov.
What happened
Russian forces struck two districts of Kharkiv with guided aerial bombs (KABs) overnight on 28 September 2026. In the Saltivskyi district, a KAB hit the second floor of a multi-story residential building, destroying or damaging two floors. Residential buildings in the Kyivskyi district were also damaged. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported the strikes on the two districts. Kharkiv Oblast head Oleh Syniehubov reported on casualties and said no seriously wounded were among the victims. The injured included children — initially identified as a 12-year-old girl, an 8-year-old boy, and a 3-year-old girl — with the child count rising in later updates. Emergency services worked at the scene to manage the aftermath.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All five Ukrainian-published sources uniformly attribute the strikes to Russian forces, using terms such as 'росіяни', 'РФ', 'окупанти' and 'ворог'. Coverage emphasizes official Ukrainian sources — Mayor Ihor Terekhov and Kharkiv OVA head Oleh Syniehubov — and headlines highlight civilian harm and child casualties in particular as the central human-interest angle.
Where reporting differs
Casualty figures diverged across reports and across reporting moments. Initial tallies cited two injured in Saltivskyi (Mayor Terekhov) and three children injured (Syniehubov); later figures cited at least 8 injured including 3 children, then 9 including 5 children, then 11 including 6 children, then 14 including 8 children, and an article-level report of 16 injured including 8 children. Article 39004 reports 11 injured including 6 children; article 39007 reports 14 injured including 8 children; article 39012 reports 16 injured including 8 children; earlier figures from article 39005 cite 8 injured including 3 children and 9 injured including 5 children.
Background
Kharkiv had been struck by Russian drones on 26 September (at least four injured), on 11 September (a death in the Kyivskyi district), and on 9 September (hits on a school grounds, a car, and a residential building).