Kharkiv News: Child Dies From Flu, Drone Attacks & Fighting Updates
A two-year-old girl in Kharkiv Oblast died from complications of the flu on March 22, according to the regional center for disease control, and prevention. The child had multiple internal organ pathologies and had not been vaccinated against either influenza or coronavirus.
The Kharkiv Oblast Center for Control and Prevention of Diseases reported a 6.1% increase in flu and acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI) across the region between March 16 and March 22. A total of 3,761 people fell ill during that period, including 1,753 children. 118 patients were hospitalized, 62 of whom were children.
Five adults were confirmed to have contracted coronavirus, with one requiring hospitalization.
the incidence rate in Kharkiv Oblast remains 64.9% below the epidemic threshold. Still, the Bohodukhiv district has exceeded that threshold by 26%, according to the center.
The news comes as Ukrainian forces continue to defend against Russian attacks in the region. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported ten attacks on Kharkiv Oblast throughout the day on March 23, concentrated near the settlements of Vovchansk, Vovchanski Khutory, and Starytsia. Six attempted Russian assaults were made on Ukrainian positions near Petropavlivka, Borovska Andriyivka, Novoplatonivka, and Bohuslavka, with one ongoing battle reported.
Border guards of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reported downing a rare Russian-made “Skat-450M” drone, valued at $400,000, on the Southern Slobozhansky direction. Russian forces reportedly use this drone for deep aerial reconnaissance and to guide “Iskander” missiles. The unit stated that between 10 and 20 of these drones have been destroyed since the start of the full-scale war.
Elsewhere in Kharkiv, police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a 76-year-old woman who jumped from a 13th-floor window after apparently setting fire to her apartment. Investigators found a note suggesting a possible suicide. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
Emergency services responded to 17 fires across Kharkiv Oblast on March 22, four of which were caused by Russian shelling in the Kupiansk, Lozovsky, and Chuhuiv districts. A fire broke out in a garage in the town of Velykyi Burluk after a drone strike, damaging a medical facility and power lines. Another drone strike in Chuhuiv ignited grass, and a woman was injured. A garage and five homes were damaged in Staryi Saltiv, also in the Chuhuiv district, and a woman was injured.
Analysts from DeepState, a project tracking the conflict, reported that Russian forces had made limited advances near Vovchansk and Synkivka. However, the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ United Forces Group denied these claims, stating that Russian attempts to break through Ukrainian defenses in Vovchansk had been unsuccessful and that positions were being held. They also reported that Russian forces were accumulating resources for a renewed offensive on the Velikoburluk direction and attempting to break through defenses near Borovska Andriyivka, Kupiansk, Novoplatonivka, and Kovsharivka.
Throughout March 22, Kharkiv Oblast was targeted by ten guided aerial bombs, seven “Geran” drones, two fpv drones, and eight drones of an unspecified type, according to Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration head Oleh Syniehubov.