Russia destroys TV tower in Kharkiv, Zelenskyy says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Russian forces had struck and destroyed a television tower in the country's second-largest city of Kharkiv.

Zelenskyy made the announcement in a video address on Monday.

Reuters news agency reported that a Russian missile broke the 240-meter tower in half. It says footage showed the main mast of the tower breaking off and falling to the ground.

Private facilities and infrastructure in the eastern Ukrainian city have been struck by a series of missiles and drone attacks by Russian forces.

The Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank, said the Kremlin is "conducting a concerted air and information operation to destroy Kharkiv City, convince Ukrainians to flee, and internally displace millions of Ukrainians ahead of a possible future Russian offensive operation against the city or elsewhere in Ukraine."

It said Ukrainian officials have previously discussed the possibility that Russian forces might launch a ground operation against Kharkiv later this summer.

But the institute assesses that "the likelihood of a successful Russian ground offensive against Kharkiv is very low if Ukraine receives renewed US military aid rapidly."