Russian missile strike kills at least seven in Ukraine's Kharkiv region town of Merefa

May 5, 2026

A Russian Iskander-type ballistic missile struck the center of Merefa, a town in Ukraine's Kharkiv region located 25 km southwest of Kharkiv city, at approximately 9:35 a.m. on May 4, 2026. The attack killed at least seven people, including two men and three women who died on the spot and two others who died in hospital, while wounding more than 30 people including a 2-year-old boy. The missile damaged at least 10 houses, an administrative building, four shops, a car repair workshop and a food establishment in the town center, far from active front lines. The strike represents part of an escalating pattern of Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, with Moscow denying intentional civilian targeting despite thousands of civilian deaths since the February 2022 invasion.

Details of the missile strike on Merefa

▪The town of Merefa is located about 25 km (15 miles) southwest of the city of Kharkiv.
▪The missile strike on Merefa damaged at least 10 houses, an administrative building, four shops, a car repair workshop and a food establishment.
▪A Russian missile attack on the town of Merefa in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region occurred at about 9:35 a.m. local time on May 4, 2026.

Human impact and casualties

▪Ihor Kolodiazhnyi's wife, aged 41, was killed in the Merefa missile attack.
▪At least 36 people were injured in the Merefa missile strike.
▪The Russian missile attack on Merefa wounded more than 30 people, including a 2-year-old boy.
▪The Russian missile attack on Merefa killed at least seven people.

Broader context of civilian targeting in the war

▪Moscow has denied intentionally targeting civilians during the war in Ukraine.
▪Russian attacks have killed thousands of civilians since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
▪Russia has notably stepped up its targeting of Ukrainian port infrastructure in 2026.

Perspective of Russia (Russian government)

▪Moscow has denied intentionally targeting civilians during the war in Ukraine.

Perspective of Ukraine (Ukrainian officials)

▪The Merefa missile strike occurred in an area far from the front lines of the war in Ukraine.
▪The Merefa missile strike hit the centre of the town, practically in the middle of the roads.