At least 11 killed in Russian attack on Kharkiv lakeside resort

Russian military on Sunday struck a lakeside resort on the edge of Kharkiv on Sunday and attacked villages in the surrounding region, killing at least 11 people, said Ukrainian officials. According to prosecutors, six people were killed in the resort, with one missing and 27 wounded.

The missile strike belongs to the latest wave of constant attacks in recent weeks on the Kharkiv region of north-eastern Ukraine, where Russian troops have launched an offensive.

Ukrainian forces reported shooting down all 29 drones used by Russian forces in an overnight attack on Monday. Moscow, in its turn, claimed that Kyiv launched a major 62-drone attack on Russian regions forcing an oil refinery to halt operations.

Kharkiv deputy governor Roman Semenukha on Monday told national television that Ukraine still controls about 60% of Vovchansk, an almost deserted town in its Kharkiv region, despite a relentless Russian offensive.

"The enemy continues to try, especially inside Vovchansk, to push the Ukrainian armed forces out of the town. About 60% of the city is controlled by the Ukrainian armed forces, meaning that the assaults do not stop," said Semenukha.

Meanwhile, G7 finance ministers are to soon discuss whether Ukraine can lawfully be handed an extra €30bn loan drawn from €270bn in seized Russian state assets. The debate has been deadlocked for over a year, with advocates of complete asset seizure, as opposed to freezing, unable to persuade central bank governors or gain enough support inside the G7 group.

Christine Lagarde, the European Central Bank president, last week raised legal and economic objections to full seizure of the assets but the U.S., with strong UK backing, is determined to try to circumvent such objections.

“Moving from freezing the assets to confiscating the assets, disposing of them, is something that needs to be looked at very carefully,” warned Lagarde, adding it would “start breaking the international legal order that you want to protect, that you would want Russia and all countries around the world to respect."