Ukrainian City's Opera House and Concert Hall Destroyed

According to BBC News, Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, and its Freedom Square came under fire by Russian missiles and rockets. 

Freedom Square is home to the Kharkiv State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, Ukraine’s first academic theater that houses two halls — one with 1500 seats and another with 400.

As reported in The New York Times, the missile strike impacted large swaths of the square’s surrounding areas. There were at least 10 casualties with more injured from the strike.

“Video footage showed a missile hitting the local government building and exploding, causing a massive fireball and blowing out windows of surrounding buildings,” BBC News reported.

The Kharkiv opera house and concert hall were destroyed. #StopPutinNOW #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/Z0Ht1N0zvC

— Tula (@LforCuba) March 2, 2022

The attack came as Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Russia was committing war crimes. “This is the price of freedom,” he said. “This is terror against Ukraine. There were no military targets in the square – nor are they in those residential districts of Kharkiv which come under rocket artillery fire.”

As written in The India Saga, in the hours following the attack, Zelensky gave his European Parliament speech addressing the bombing. “This morning was a very tragic one for us, two cruise missiles hit Kharkiv. More than 20 universities are there. Many Russians live there,” he said. 

“The youth are bright and smart there, people would gather there for celebrations…The largest square in our country – Freedom Square – can you imagine this morning two cruise missiles hit it. This is the price of freedom that we are finding for our land and for our freedom. Every square in every city of our country will be called Freedom Square.”