DNIPRO, Ukraine — The death toll from a Russian missile attack on apartments in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro rose to 29 on Sunday, a regional governor said as rescue workers tried to reach survivors in the rubble. Reported scrambled.
Paramedics worked frigid nights and all day in multi-story residential buildings. About 1,700 people lived there before Saturday’s strike, officials said. The people reported killed were the deadliest attack anywhere since a strike in Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region on Sept. 30, according to the Associated Press and the Frontline War Crimes Surveillance Project.
Russia also targeted the capital Kyiv and the northeastern city of Kharkov on the same day with a widespread barrage, ending a two-week lull in the airstrikes it launched against Ukraine’s power infrastructure and urban centers almost every week since October. finished it.
Russia confirmed the missile strike on Sunday but did not mention the apartments in Dnipro. Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilians in the war.
Russia launched 33 cruise missiles on Saturday, 21 of which were shot down, said General Valerii Zaluzhny, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian military. The military air force command said the missile that hit the apartment was a Kh-22 launched from the Kursk region of Russia, adding that Ukraine does not have a system capable of intercepting such a weapon.
In Dnipro, workers used a crane in an attempt to rescue people trapped on the upper floors of a high-rise apartment building. Some residents called for help with their cell phone lights.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at least 73 people had been injured and 39 had been rescued as of Sunday afternoon. Dnipro’s municipal government said 43 people had been reported missing.
“Search and rescue operations and dismantling of dangerous structural elements continue. Around the clock. We will continue to fight for all lives,” Zelensky said.
Ivan Garnuk was in his apartment when the building was attacked and said he was lucky to survive.
“There are no military installations here. Nothing here,” he said. “There are no air defenses here, no military bases. It just hit civilians, innocent people.”
Residents of Dnipro joined rescue workers on the ground to help clear the debris. Some brought food and warm clothes for those who lost their homes.
“This is clearly terrorism, all this is not caused by humans,” said local Artem Mizhchenko as he cleared the rubble.
Russia’s defense ministry on Sunday claimed responsibility for missile strikes across Ukraine, saying it had hit its target.
“All specified targets have been hit. The objectives of the attack have been achieved,” said the ministry’s statement posted on Telegram. It said the missile was launched “against the Ukrainian military command and control system and associated energy installations,” without mentioning the attack on houses in Dnipro.
On Sunday, Russian forces attacked a residential area in the southern Ukraine city of Kherson, regional governor Yaroslav Yanushevich said in a Telegram post. According to preliminary information, two people were injured.
The new Russian airstrikes came as fighting raged in Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. Russian forces claim to control the small salt-mining town of Soledar, but Ukraine claims its forces are still fighting.
Once the Russians gained full control of Soledar, they would be able to move closer and closer to the larger city of Bakhmut. There have been casualties.
As the 11-month war draws near, Britain has announced it will deliver tanks to Ukraine. While the pledge for 14 Challenger 2 tanks seemed modest, Ukrainian officials hope it will encourage other Western countries to supply more tanks.
“Sending the Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine marks the beginning of a gear change in UK support,” the office of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement late Saturday. “A squadron of 14 tanks is set to enter the country in the coming weeks after the prime minister told President Zelensky that the UK would provide additional support to support the land war in Ukraine. It is expected to be followed by about 30 AS90s, large self-propelled guns operated by
Sunak said other Western allies would follow suit as part of a concerted international effort to boost support for Ukraine ahead of next month’s one-year anniversary of the invasion, officials said. is hoping for
The British Secretary of Defense is scheduled to visit Estonia and Germany this week to work with NATO allies, while the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs is scheduled to visit the United States and Canada to discuss closer coordination.
Vasilisa Stepanenko, Andrew Meldrum
