‘Pure barbarity’: Rescuers killed as Russia launches ‘double tap’ drone attack on Kharkiv

Resistance by Kharkiv’s vastly outnumbered defenders has infuriated Vladimir Putin, as Askold Krushelnycky discovers at the scene of a cruel attack on brave Ukrainian rescue workers

Rescuers carry an injured resident following a missile attack in Kharkiv on Thursday (AFP)

Ukraine’s second-largest city has been rocked by a “double tap” drone strike in which a first wave of missiles fired at residential buildings was followed by another attack timed to hit rescuers.

An Iranian-made Shahed drone slammed into a street yards from a building that had been hit an hour previously, exploding near firefighters and ambulance crews who were helping the injured and searching for survivors still under rubble.

Three firefighters were killed in the attack early on Thursday – two instantly and a third while being transported to hospital. A woman living in one of the targeted buildings was killed, and a dozen more were injured.