Kyiv, June 13 (EFE) – A massive overnight Russian missile strike on the hometown of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has killed at least 10 civilians, according to officials on Tuesday.
Oleksandr Vilkul, the mayor of Kryvyi Rih city, said 10 died and 28 civilians sustained injuries in the attack. He declared Wednesday as a day of official mourning.
Zelenskyy labeled the strike as a “terrorist” attack, as the missiles targeted several civilian buildings in the central Ukrainian city, which happens to be his hometown.
“More terrorist missiles, Russian killers continue their war against residential buildings, cities and people,” Zelenskyy tweeted. “Russian terrorists will never be forgiven, and they will be held accountable for every missile they launch.”
The president shared videos showcasing firefighters battling flames emerging from broken windows of various buildings. The images displayed charred remnants of vehicles, some still engulfed in flames.
Kryvyi Rih, located in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast in central Ukraine, has a population of 635,000 and lies approximately 440 kilometers (273 miles) south of Kyiv.
Serhiy Lysak, the military head of the Central Dnipropetrovsk region, said the strike, involving cruise missiles, struck a five-story residential building. “There are casualties and wounded.”
“Apartments from the first to the fifth floor are on fire. The fire has covered 700 square meters. Rescuers are putting it out,” Lysak was quoted as saying by the Ukrinform news agency.
Meanwhile, Russian-installed authorities in occupied Kherson, located in southern Ukraine, have raised the death toll due to the breach of the Kakhovka dam to 17.
The Nova Kakhovka dam was destroyed last Tuesday, unleashing flood waters on both sides of the Dnipro River.
Both Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of causing the breach.
Andrey Alekseenko, a Russian-installed Kherson official, said at least 12 people died in Hola Prostan and five in Oleshki.
However, volunteers engaged in the relief and rescue operation on the left bank of the Dnipro River, within Russian-controlled territories, claim that there have been dozens of fatalities, as reported by independent Russian media.
Residents in occupied areas told reporters that numerous individuals remain missing.
Ukraine said 10 people died and 42 were missing from the right bank of the Dnipro River following the massive breach.
On the frontlines, Ukraine reported new advances around Bakhmut and in the province of Zaporizhzhia, two of the three regions where Kyiv confirmed its long-anticipated counter-offensive.
According to Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar, Ukrainian forces have gained control of up to three square kilometers in the direction of the Russian-occupied port of Berdyansk within the past few hours.
In the vicinity of Bakhmut, Ukrainian troops have advanced 250 meters into the Berkhivka reservoir, north of the predominantly Russian-held eastern Donetsk province.
Maliar said Ukrainians advanced 200 meters near Toretsk, a town in Donetsk located approximately 35 km southwest of Bakhmut. EFE
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