At least four people have been killed and 28 others injured in a deadly attack carried out by Russian forces in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, according to Ukrainian officials. The attack resulted in the tragic death of a child on a playground, as stated by Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov. Additionally, three people lost their lives in a residential building that caught fire due to the attack.

Video footage shared by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, showed horrifying scenes of massive flames and dense black smoke billowing from the upper floors of the apartment block. Yermak condemned the attack, emphasizing that civilians were once again the victims of Russian aggression.

Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, and its surrounding region have been frequent targets of Russian attacks, particularly through highly destructive guided bombs. Despite an initial failed attempt by Moscow's forces to capture Kharkiv, they launched a new ground offensive in the Kharkiv region in May.

President Zelenskyy took to social media to express his frustration and call for action, stating, "We need strong decisions from our partners to stop this terror." He specifically appealed for the lifting of restrictions on the use of Western-supplied missiles inside Russian territory and the implementation of air defense agreements to protect the lives of Ukrainian citizens.

Neighboring regions have also suffered from Russian raids. In Sumy, two people were killed, and eight were wounded, according to local authorities. The Kremlin has consistently denied its forces are deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russia announced that its forces had captured three more villages in eastern Ukraine, despite Kyiv's ongoing cross-border assault into Russian territory. Russia's defense ministry stated that settlements in Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkiv regions were under their control. The strategic town of Pokrovsk appears to be a primary target for Moscow, with intense fighting reported by Kyiv.

Ukraine's commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskii, highlighted the difficult situation in the Pokrovsk direction, where Ukrainian troops are facing relentless attacks. He also claimed that Ukrainian forces were making progress in Russia's western Kursk region, having supposedly gained control over 100 border settlements.

In another development, European Union defense ministers agreed to conduct training missions for Ukrainian forces near the war-torn country, but not on Ukrainian territory, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell confirmed. The ministers also pledged to aim for the training of 75,000 Ukrainian troops by the end of the year, with 60,000 already trained. Some EU countries support training soldiers in Ukraine, while others, including Hungary, express concerns about potential escalation of the conflict.

As the situation in eastern Ukraine remains dire, urgent international efforts are needed to put an end to the barbaric attacks and protect innocent lives caught in the crossfire.