Russian strike on Kharkiv shopping centre kills 14 as Zelensky calls for Western support

Ukrainian officials have said 44 people were injured while seven people remain missing

- HOLLY EVANS

A crowded DIY store in the Ukrainian region of Kharkiv was hit by a Russian strike on Saturday, leaving 14 people dead.

Two guided bombs hit the Epicentre hypermarket in a residential area of the city, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said on national television.

Thick black smoke was seen billowing into the air as a massive fire broke out at the shopping centre, with president Volodymyr Zelensky confirming 44 people had been injured.

Officials said that 11 of the dead had been identified while seven people remain missing after the deadly strike, and 120 people are understood to have been in the centre at the time.

The past week has seen an uptick in strikes on the city after Russian troops stormed across the border, opening a new front north of the city.

Russia has bombarded Kharkiv, which lies less than 30km (20 miles) from its border, throughout the war, having reached its outskirts in a failed bid to capture it in 2022.

Mr Zelensky issued a plea to Ukraine’s Western allies to help boost air defences to keep the country’s cities safe. Meanwhile, French president Emmanuel Macron denounced the attack on the store as “unacceptable” in a social media post.