THE central square of the second city in Ukraine, Kharkiv, was shelled on today by advancing Russian soldiers who hit the local administration building, said regional governor Oleg Sinegubov.

“This morning the central square of our city and headquarters of the Kharkiv administration was criminally attacked,” he said in a video on Telegram.

“Russian occupiers continue to use heavy weaponry against the civilian population,” he said, adding that the number of victims is not yet known.

He posted footage of the massive blast and debris inside the building.

Kharkiv, a largely Russian-speaking city near the Russian border, has a population of around 1.4 million.

It has been a target of Russian forces since President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine last Thursday.

Separately, an official in the region of Sumy, which lies north of Kharkiv, said about 70 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in Russian shelling on a military facility in the area yesterday.

“Many died. Currently, places are being prepared in the cemetery for about 70 dead Ukrainian soldiers,” said Dmytro Zhyvytsky, the head of the Sumy region, on Telegram after strikes on the town of Okhtyrka.

He posted images of charred buildings with caved-in walls and rescue workers digging through rubble.

The Ukrainian military, however, has not confirmed the deaths.

Russia has denied targeting civilian areas despite rockets landing in residential neighbourhoods.

Ukraine said more than 350 civilians have been killed since the attack was launched last week. – AFP, March 1, 2022.