Russian Strike on Kharkiv High-Rise Kills Two as Ukraine Hits Belgorod

A Russian strike hit a residential high-rise in Kharkiv's Saltivka district on the morning of August 9, collapsing floors seven through ten, killing two men (aged 50 and 66) and injuring more than 20 others, including a child. Russia's strike package that week (Aug 3-9) totaled 61 missiles (56 ballistic), 1,560+ strike drones, and 1,540 glide bombs, per Zelensky. In a retaliatory cross-border exchange, Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia's Belgorod region killed five and injured two dozen, including a 4-year-old boy. Russia's Defense Ministry claimed it struck drone warehouses in Kharkiv region and fuel depots at the port of Odesa overnight.