--- title: "Russian Strike Topples Kharkiv TV Tower" date: "2024-04-22" modified: "2024-04-22" authors: - name: "Thomas Newdick" job_title: "Staff Writer" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/thomas-newdick" url: "https://www.twz.com/news-features/russian-strike-topples-kharkiv-tv-tower" categories: - "Around The Globe" - "Europe" - "News & Features" - "Russia" - "Ukraine" --- # Russian Strike Topples Kharkiv TV Tower ![Dramatic footage has emerged of the destruction of the huge TV tower in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, in the northeast of the country. The city, Ukraine’s second largest, has come under fierce air attack in recent weeks, while the TV tower was subject to another Russian attack, earlier in the conflict, after which it was repaired.]() *via X* Dramatic footage has emerged of the destruction of the huge TV tower in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, in the northeast of the country. The city, Ukraine’s second-largest, has come under fierce air attack in recent weeks, while the TV tower — the tallest of its kind in the region — was subject to another Russian strike, earlier in the conflict, after which it continued to operate. https://twitter.com/ChristopherJM/status/1782424513491169768 Videos showing the attack on the TV tower this afternoon show a large cloud of smoke rising above it before the upper half of the tower topples and falls to the ground. According to local accounts, the tower was struck by “several Russian rockets” at around 4:35 p.m. local time, although it’s unclear if these were fired from the ground or aircraft. [Some accounts](), however, suggest that a [Kh-59 series]() air-launched standoff missile was used. https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1782426134061232376 According to regional head Oleh Syniehubov, there were no victims of the attack, with workers at the TV tower having been sheltering at the time of the strike. However, the TV signal, and reportedly also cell phone services, in the region [have now been interrupted](). https://twitter.com/KyivPost/status/1782436614028841112 Standing 790 feet tall before today’s attack, the Kharkiv TV tower was built in 1981 and utilized a steel truss construction. It was primarily used for broadcasting on the TV and FM channels. ![]() *A photograph taken on April 22, 2024, shows damage to the Kharkiv TV tower. *Photo by SERGEY BOBOK/AFP via Getty Images** ![]() *A Ukrainian Police investigator examines debris at the Kharkiv TV tower today. *Photo by SERGEY BOBOK/AFP via Getty Images** The tower came under Russian attack before, in the early days of the full-scale Russian invasion. On March 6, 2022, during fierce fighting around Kharkiv, the tower as well as an administrative building were heavily damaged [after reportedly being struck]() by eight 500-kilogram (1,102-pound) bombs dropped from Russian [Su-34 Fullback]() combat jets. ![]() *Damage to the Kharkiv TV tower after the Russian bombing in March 2022. *Prosecutor General of Ukraine** One of the jets in question was reportedly shot down by Ukrainian air defenses and its pilot ejected and was captured. He was [later sentenced]() to 12 years in prison in Ukraine. ![]() *Remains of the Su-34 that was reportedly involved in bombing the Kharkiv TV tower in March 2022. *Prosecutor General of Ukraine** Since then, Kharkiv has come under intermittent Russian fire, but the ferocity of these attacks has stepped up considerably of late. As part of its intense [winter campaign of airstrikes](), including drone and missile attacks, Kharkiv has been very much in the center of the Kremlin’s sights. Located only 18 miles from the Russian border, the city is in a notably vulnerable position, especially as Ukraine’s air defenses become increasingly stretched. “We have a catastrophic shortage of air defense systems,” Syniehubov told *Reuters* [earlier this month](). “Not only in the Kharkiv region but throughout the entire country. Especially in the Kharkiv region.” ![]() *Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov speaks to the press after Russian forces launched a massive drone attack on the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine, on April 4, 2024. *Photo by Kharkiv Military Administration/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images** With the winter campaign targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in particular, Russian raids have left hundreds of thousands of people in the wider Kharkiv region [without power]() in recent weeks. Local officials have said that all of the power facilities in the region have been either damaged or destroyed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky [has gone on record]() in recent weeks saying that almost a quarter of Kharkiv — home to 2 million people before the war — had been destroyed. Clearly, the Russian winter campaign is intended, to a significant degree, to intimidate the civilian population of Ukraine. In this regard, Kharkiv is being particularly hard hit. While the TV tower, by its very nature supporting cellular and other line-of-sight communications, would have been used for military purposes too, its destruction is symbolic of the bombardment being meted out on the city and its residents. *Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com* ## Author Thomas Newdick is a staff writer at *TWZ*, where he covers military aviation, defense technology, weapons systems, and international security. Based in Berlin, Germany, he reports on conflicts, military modernization efforts, and emerging aerospace technologies around the world, with a particular interest in airpower and its role in contemporary warfare. His reporting is informed by deep expertise in modern and historical airpower, particularly in Europe, with a focus on military aviation, air campaigns, and aerospace developments across the continent and beyond. Over a journalism career spanning more than 25 years, Thomas has become known for making complex defense and aerospace topics accessible to a broad audience. His reporting combines technical expertise, historical context, and a focus on the real-world operational and strategic implications of military developments. ### Author social links [Twitter]()