‘I put my soul into this place’: Ruslan Burdov at the site of the strike at his lakeside resort near Kharkiv.‘I put my soul into this place’: Ruslan Burdov at the site of the strike at his lakeside resort near Kharkiv.he apartment at 24 Liubovi Maloi avenue was an eerie ruin. Its roof and outer walls had disappeared. In one corner a row of suits hung in a wardrobe. There was a TV, a coffee cup, and a maroon jacket on a peg.
She added: “For two years you think the war is near but it won’t take you. You live your life. Then you understand the war can come for you at any time.” Ukraine’s armed forces have used US Himars missiles to destroy at least one Russian S-300/S-400 launcher outside Belgorod. Syniehubov said further action had been taken against enemy logistics. “I can’t tell you more. It’s secret information,” he said. He acknowledged that Kharkiv did not have Patriot air defence systems, which would allow the city to down Russian combat planes carrying guided bombs. “They are still flying,” he said.
The following weekend, on 25 May, Russia sent another missile into a large and crowded DIY store. About 200 shoppers were inside the Epicentr K hypermarket when the strike – the deadliest in weeks – happened at 4.01pm. Security camera footage captured two thunderous explosions. The building was engulfed in thick smoke and flames. Sixteen people died and more than 40 were injured.Last week the complex resembled a ghoulish wreck. Rescuers had piled debris into large tangled heaps.