At least 13 people have been killed following overnight shelling in the city of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine’s defence ministry has said.
According to Ukrainian officials, a further 87 were injured including 10 children.
The pre-dawn fusillade in Zaporizhzhia on Sunday was the second of its kind against the city in three days.
Russian aircraft launched at least 12 missiles, partially destroying a nine-storey apartment block, levelling five other residential buildings and damaging many more, Oleksandr Starukh, governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, said on state-run television.
“There may be more people under the rubble,” Mr Starukh said on the Telegram messaging app. “A rescue operation is underway at the scene. Eight people have already been rescued.”
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Absolute evil. Savages and terrorists. From the one who gave this order to everyone who fulfilled this order. They will bear responsibility. For sure. Before the law and before people.”
The region is one of four, along with Luhansk, Donetsk, and Kherson, to have been annexed by Russia following sham referendums.
The city is also about 125 km (80 miles) from the Russian-held nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe.
On Saturday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the plant is now relying on diesel generators after its external power line was broken after being shelled.
In a statment, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said: “The resumption of shelling, hitting the plant’s sole source of external power, is tremendously irresponsible.”
Mr Grossi will visit Russia and Ukraine “soon” to discuss setting up a protection zone at the plant, it added.
The power plant is the biggest in Europe and the line was cut at around 1am on Saturday.
All six reactors at the plant have been shut down but they still require electricity for cooling and other safety functions.
Plant engineers have begun work to repair the damaged power line and the plant’s generators - not all of which are currently being used - each have sufficient fuel for at least 10 days, the IAEA said.
Mr Grossi has been in talks with Russia and Ukraine to set up a protection zone around the plant. He was in Kyiv on Thursday and is due to go to Russia early next week.
“I will soon travel to the Russian Federation, and then return to Ukraine, to agree on a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the plant. This is an absolute and urgent imperative,” he said.
