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A woman sits in her apartment in Kharkiv, which was destroyed in a rocket attack
Photo: Andrii Marienko / dpa
About a day after heavy Russian rocket attacks on the eastern Ukrainian metropolis of Kharkiv, the number of dead has risen to 21, according to information from Kyiv.
At the same time, nine other people were rescued from the rubble of a hostel, the Ukrainian civil protection service said on Telegram.
On the night of Thursday, Kharkov was shaken by massive attacks, two dormitories and the railway culture center were destroyed.
In addition to the many dead, several dozen people are said to have been injured.
Russia's Defense Ministry only confirmed attacks on towns outside of Kharkiv, which would only have been military targets.
Meanwhile, Kyiv also reported that five civilians had been killed and ten injured in the part of neighboring Donetsk Oblast that was still under Ukrainian control.
According to local media, five civilians were killed and another 23 injured in the Russian-controlled part.
The information provided by both sides can often not be verified independently.
Ukrainians donate for better satellite imagery
Meanwhile, thanks to a fundraiser, the Ukrainian army is getting quick access to highly accurate satellite imagery.
The combination of reconnaissance images with modern weapons opens up new opportunities for the armed forces in the fight against Russia, Defense Minister Oleksiy Resnikov wrote on Facebook.
"Let's assume that soon any HIMARS, M270 or MARS II, as well as any weapon or self-propelled weapon with high-precision projectiles, will be able to destroy the enemy more effectively." The mentioned weapon systems are long-range multiple rocket launchers.
Ukraine has been using them to fight Russian ammunition depots far behind the front lines for the past few weeks.
According to the contract with the Finnish provider ICEYE, the Ukrainian government can use a radar satellite around the clock, which also provides images at night or in clouds.
The money came from a fundraising campaign in Ukraine started by TV presenter Serhiy Prytula.
According to media reports, about 600 million hryvnia (16.2 million euros) have been collected so far.
Actually, the money should be used to buy Turkish Bayraktar combat drones.
When their manufacturer donated the drones, investments were made in using satellites instead.
New US military aid to Ukraine
Ukraine is also getting new weapons from the United States.
The government in Washington has announced that it will provide Ukraine with additional military aid of around 775 million US dollars (around 772 million euros).
The planned aid package will include 15 ScanEagle surveillance drones, 40 mine-protected vehicles and 16 self-propelled howitzers, according to the US Department of Defense.
This increases US military aid to Ukraine since the beginning of US President Joe Biden's term in office to a total of 10.6 billion US dollars (around 10.56 billion euros).
According to the Pentagon, this is the 19th time that the US Department of Defense has delivered equipment from its own stocks to Ukraine since August 2021.
"As President Biden has made clear, we will support Ukraine in defending its democracy for as long as is necessary," the Pentagon said in a statement.
The US would continue to work with its allies to equip Ukrainian soldiers to meet evolving battlefield needs.
atb/dpa/Reuters