Kharkiv Targeted in ‘Massive’ Attack After Zelensky Criticizes China Over Drone Sales

Russia carried out a “massive attack” on Kharkiv on May 30, using drone and ballistic missiles to target civilian infrastructure just days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized China for reducing shipments of drone components. Zelensky told reporters on Tuesday that China had cut sales of certain drone components to Ukraine and Western buyers, but is continuing to sell the parts to Russia. A European official told Bloomberg News that Zelensky’s remarks match their own assessments. The official said that China also appears to have curtailed deliveries to western buyers of some drone components, such as magnets used in motors, at the same time as ramping up deliveries to Russia. Drones have become central to the war in Ukraine, with Friday’s strikes on Kharkiv and the surrounding region another example of their increasing use for long-range strikes behind the frontlines. The city’s mayor Igor Terekhov said eight drones hit a trolleybus depot, injuring two people and causing a large fire. A further eight people were injured in a drone and missile attack on a farm near the city, while a warehouse was targeted in Izyum. Footage released by Ukraine’s State Emergency Service showed efforts to extinguish the fire at the trolleybus depot. Credit: SES of Ukraine via Storyful