• Ukraine says 2 Russian Iskander ballistic missiles struck 5-story residential building in Kharkiv, injuring at least 30 people

ISTANBUL

Russia on Friday denied carrying out a missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, claiming instead that an explosion reported to have injured at least 30 people was caused by the detonation of Ukrainian ammunition.

"The information about the alleged strike on the city of Kharkiv by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on January 2 is not true," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Telegram.

The ministry asserted that its forces "did not plan or carry out strikes using missile weapons or aerial strike means within the city of Kharkiv."

Pointing to video footage from eyewitnesses, Moscow claimed the epicenter of the blast was the "Persona" shopping center on Olesya Gonchara Street. The statement alleged that smoke was visible in the building prior to the blast, indicating the "detonation of ammunition stored there by the Armed Forces of Ukraine."

This denial contradicts earlier reports from Ukrainian officials, who stated that two Russian Iskander ballistic missiles struck a five-story residential building in the city on Friday afternoon.

"The blow fell on a residential multi-story building in the Kyivskyi district of the city. According to preliminary information, there are casualties and significant damage," Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov said on Telegram.

"At this moment, there are 30 injured people," Terekhov added in a later update.

Oleh Synyehubov, head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration, stated that the attack left the building in the city center "completely destroyed."

Ruslan Vragov, director general of the Kharkiv Regional Clinical Hospital, stated that five of the injured are in moderate condition, while one woman remains in serious condition.

According to the city council, the shelling caused significant damage to infrastructure, destroying a shopping center and damaging a hospital where over 100 windows were broken.

Heating networks and power grids were also hit, forcing the temporary suspension of trolleybus and tram services on Sumska and Myronosytska streets.

Emergency services, including law enforcement and medical personnel, are conducting search and rescue operations at the site, where a fire broke out, and the facades of nearby structures were damaged.

Kharkiv, located roughly 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the Russian border, remains a frequent target of aerial attacks amid the nearly four-year war.

Independent verification of the claims made by both sides remains difficult due to the ongoing conflict.