Russian Missile Attack Claims Lives and Traps Survivors in Zelenskyy’s Hometown

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In a tragic incident, at least 10 people lost their lives as Russian missiles struck civilian areas, including a residential building, in Kryvyi Rih, the central Ukrainian city.

According to the mayor of Kryvyi Rih, Oleksandr Vilkul, 28 individuals sustained injuries, while one person remains trapped under the rubble. In an update provided on the Telegram app, Vilkul stated that a dozen injured individuals had been swiftly transported to city hospitals.

This is an ongoing breaking news story. Please refer to the previous AP report for additional details.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Regional authorities reported that at least six people were killed in an overnight attack on Tuesday when Russian missiles targeted civilian structures in Kryvyi Rih, a central Ukrainian city. Rescue teams are currently engaged in efforts to extract individuals who are believed to be trapped under the debris.

According to Governor Serhiy Lysak of the Dnipropetrovsk region, the strike, which involved cruise missiles, struck a five-story residential building, causing it to become engulfed in flames.

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Following initial reports of three fatalities, Kryvyi Rih Mayor Oleksandr Vilkul shared on a social media platform that the death toll had risen to at least six, with seven individuals still feared to be trapped beneath the rubble. Authorities initially stated that around two dozen people had been wounded.

The destruction witnessed in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown is the latest tragedy caused by Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, which commenced in February 2022. Ukrainian forces have been mounting counteroffensive operations, leveraging Western-supplied firepower in an attempt to drive out the Russian forces.

Images from the scene, as shared by Zelenskyy on his Telegram channel, depict firefighters battling the inferno, with flames emerging from shattered windows of a building. Charred and damaged vehicles can be seen strewn across the nearby area.

Zelenskyy expressed his dismay, stating, “More terrorist missiles. Russian killers persist in their war against residential buildings, ordinary cities, and people.”

The aerial assault represents the latest wave of Russian attacks targeting various regions of Ukraine overnight.

Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, was struck by Iranian-made Shahed drones, while the surrounding region was shelled, as reported by Governor Oleh Syniehubov on Telegram. The shelling resulted in two civilians sustaining injuries in the town of Shevchenkove, southeast of Kharkiv.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov separately stated early on Tuesday that the drone strike had caused damage to a utilities business and a warehouse in the northeastern part of the city. Neither Terekhov nor Syniehubov mentioned any casualties within Kharkiv.

The Kyiv military administration confirmed that the capital also came under fire on Tuesday, but the incoming missiles were successfully intercepted by air defenses, and there have been no immediate reports of casualties.

Ukraine’s General Staff reported on its Facebook page that out of the 14 cruise missiles and four Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Russian forces, air defenses managed to down 10 cruise missiles and one drone.

Meanwhile, the head of Ukraine’s ground troops, Oleksandr Syrskyi, conveyed on Telegram that Russian forces were losing ground on the flanks, while Ukrainian troops were engaged in defensive operations in the area outside the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region.

For several weeks now, Ukrainian officials have been reporting incremental gains west of Bakhmut. The city had previously been heavily devastated during the war’s longest and bloodiest battle before Russian forces took control last month.

Furthermore, the Russian Defense Ministry released a video claiming to show a captured German-made Leopard 2 tank and a U.S.-made Bradley fighting vehicle, purportedly taken from Ukrainian forces. According to the ministry, the video was filmed by Russian soldiers after intense fighting in southern Zaporizhzhia, with a soldier pointing to the immobilized vehicles. The authenticity of the video could not be immediately verified.

Similar to the Bakhmut area, Zaporizhzhia is one of several battle zones along the approximately 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line where Ukrainian forces have been intensifying their counteroffensive operations.

Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar announced on Monday that Ukrainian troops had managed to recapture a total of seven villages, covering an area of 90 square kilometers (35 square miles) in eastern Ukraine over the past week. These gains, although modest, signify the initial successes of the ongoing counteroffensive.

Russian officials have not confirmed these reported Ukrainian gains, which are difficult to verify and subject to potential reversals in the fluid nature of war.

The limited territorial advancements made by Ukraine only underscore the challenging battle ahead for their forces, who must engage in a painstaking struggle to regain control over roughly one-fifth of the country currently occupied by Russian forces.

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