At least five people were killed and dozens wounded after a Russian missile demolished much of a high-rise apartment building in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
(Bloomberg) —
At least five people were killed and dozens wounded after a Russian missile demolished much of a high-rise apartment building in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
The hit came as Russia launched its latest coordinated strike on Ukraine after a roughly two-week pause, starting with what were called ballistic-type missiles aimed at Kyiv and the surrounding region in the morning and following up with an afternoon attack believed to have come from as many as 17 fighter jets.
Critical infrastructure facilities in various parts of Ukraine, from Kharkiv in the east to Lviv in the far west, were damaged, according to local authorities. New explosions were also heard Saturday afternoon in Kyiv, where air-defense was working, mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.
Power facilities were hit in at least six regions, leading to emergency power cuts in most of the country, the Energy Ministry said in an emailed statement.
The worst known situation was in the central city of Dnipro, where a multi-story residential building was hit, according to photos shared by the President’s Office.
“Today’s missile barrage on Ukrainian cities is further evidence that Russia is a terrorist state and there is no place for it in the civilized world,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Telegram. Dozens of people remained under the rubble of the Dnipro apartment block, he said.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said rescue teams are “fighting for every person, every life” and vowed to find those responsible.
Preliminary estimates suggest at least five people were killed and 27 injured, including six children, according to Valentyn Reznichenko, the head of the Dnipropetrovsk military administration. The injured have been admitted to hospital as rescue efforts continue.
Russia has launched a series of massive missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s regions and cities in the past four months. Many have targeted energy infrastructure in what is seen as a bid to plunge the whole nation into darkness and break the resistance of Ukrainians.
The attacks have also resulted in civilian casualties, as several missiles have hit civilian facilities like residential buildings such as the one in Dnipro.
(Updates with casualty figures from the first paragraph, prime minister’s comment in the fifth)
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