Fifty-two people were killed in a Russian missile strike on Thursday in the village of Hroza in the Ukrainian region of Kharkiv, Oleh Synehubov, the regional governor, said via Telegram on Friday.
In another Russian attack on Friday morning in the center of Kharkiv, two people were killed and more than 20 others were injured, Synehubov added.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later said in his daily briefing that the Russian military does not attack civilian targets in Ukraine, but only strikes military targets.