At least five people were killed and dozens wounded after a Russian missile strike demolished much of a high-rise apartment building in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
The hit came as Russia launched its latest coordinated strikes 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.
Ukraine’s air defense intercepted 25 missiles out of a total of 38 fired, including high-precision rockets Kremlin forces launched from various directions, Ukraine’s Air Force said on their Facebook page following the attacks.
The rest damaged residential buildings and critical infrastructure facilities in various parts of Ukraine, from Kharkiv in the east to Lviv in the far west, 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 multistory residential building was largely destroyed, 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 Zelenskyy said rescue teams were “fighting for every person, every life” and vowed to find those responsible.
Preliminary estimates suggest at least five people were killed and 39 injured, including seven children, according to Valentyn Reznichenko, the head of the Dnipropetrovsk military administration. The injured have been admitted to hospital and the toll is likely to rise as rescue efforts continue into the night.
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’s seen as a bid to plunge the whole nation into cold and 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.
