Russia-Ukraine War Latest Updates: The death toll from a Russian missile attack on an apartment building in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro rose to 25 on Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said as rescuers struggled to pull survivors from the rubble.
Emergency crews worked through a cold night at the wrecked multi-storey residential building, the site of most casualties from the massive Russian barrage on Saturday. The attacks, which also targeted the capital, Kyiv and the northeastern city of Kharkiv, ended a two-week lull in airstrikes launched by Russia against Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure and urban centers almost weekly since October.
Russia fired more than 30 missiles
According to General Valery Zaluzny, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Russia fired 33 cruise missiles on Saturday, of which 21 were shot down. The missile that hit the apartment building was a Kh-22 launched from Russia’s Kursk region, according to the Army Air Force command, which said Ukraine did not have systems capable of intercepting that type of weapon.
In Dnipro, workers used a crane as they tried to rescue people trapped on the upper floors of an apartment tower where some 1,700 people were living. Some residents signaled for help with lights on their mobile phones.
Zelensky reported that as of Sunday afternoon at least 73 people had been injured and 39 had been rescued. The city government in Dnipro said 43 people were reported missing.
“Search and rescue operations and dismantling of dangerous structural elements are on. twenty four hours We continue to fight for every life, ”said the Ukrainian leader. Ivan Karnuk was in his apartment when the building came under attack and said he felt lucky to have survived. He described his shock that the Russians would attack a residential building that had no strategic value.
“There are no military facilities here. There is nothing here,” he said. “There is no air defense, there are no military bases here. It just hit civilians, innocent people. Residents of Dnipro joined rescue workers at the scene, while others brought food and warm clothing to those who had lost their homes.
“This is clearly terrorism and all this is not humane,” said Artem Myzichenko, a local, while clearing the debris.
“goal attainment”
Claiming responsibility for the missile attacks in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Sunday that it had achieved its goal. “All designated targets have been hit. The target of the attack has been achieved,” said a ministry statement posted on Telegram. It said the missiles “attacked Ukraine’s military command and control system and related energy facilities ” tainted, and did not mention the attack on the Dnipro residential building.
Regional governor Yaroslav Yanushevich said in a telegram post that on Sunday Russian forces attacked a residential area in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson. According to preliminary information, two people were injured.
Russia’s renewed airstrikes came as fierce fighting broke out in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk province, where the Russian army claims to have control of the small salt-mining town of Soledar, but Ukraine claims its troops are still there. are fighting.
If Russian forces gain full control of Soledar it will allow them to inch closer to the larger city of Bakhmut. The Battle of Bakhmut has been going on for months, causing considerable casualties on both sides. With the Peace War nearing the 11-month mark, Britain announced it would deliver the tank to Ukraine, its first donation of such a heavy-duty weapon. Although the pledge of 14 Challenger 2 tanks appeared modest, Ukrainian officials hoped it would encourage other Western countries to supply more tanks.
“The sending of Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine is the start of a gear change in support for the UK,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office said in a statement late Saturday. “A squadron of 14 tanks will head to the country in the coming weeks after the prime minister told President Zelensky that the UK would provide additional aid to aid Ukraine’s land war. About 30 AS90s, which are large, self-propelled guns, are expected to be manned by five gunners.
Sunak is hoping other Western allies will follow suit as part of a coordinated international effort to drum up support for Ukraine in the lead up to the 1-year anniversary of the invasion next month.
Britain’s defense secretary is planning to visit Estonia and Germany this week to work with NATO allies, and the foreign secretary is due to visit the US and Canada to discuss closer co-ordination.
(with inputs from AP)
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