A Russian missile hit a residential building in the city of Dnipro, in east-central Ukraine, on Saturday, killing at least five people and wounding 27 others, including six children. This information was provided by the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Valentin Reznichenko.
Videos circulating on social media show rescue teams using cranes to remove those still inside the stricken building. Residents use cell phones and flashlights to identify themselves.
On Saturday, Russia fired a series of missiles into several Ukrainian regions, forcing civilians to take cover in shelters as warning sirens rang across the country. The attacks were divided into two moments, one at the beginning of the day and another at the end – the missile that killed the five people was part of the second wave.
In the first, air strikes hit Kiev’s infrastructure from Kharkiv, a city in the east of the country. In the capital, according to the Reuters news agency, the missiles hit the installations even before the sirens sounded, which is unusual since the beginning of the Russian invasion.
Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said the Russian missiles were likely fired along a high ballistic trajectory, which would explain why the air raid siren did not sound. Ukraine, he said, is not capable of identifying and shooting down ballistic missiles.
However, at least in the capital, no critical damage or fire was reported. “All emergency services are working on site, and no one is injured,” Kiev’s military government said in a statement.
Officials in Mikolaiv, Lviv and Odessa said their air defenses were trying to shoot down missiles. In addition, explosions were heard in the central region of Vinnitsa, Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne reported.
Moscow has been attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with missiles and drones since October, causing blackouts and disruptions to water supplies and central heating. Currently, the situation is even more critical, since the winter is severe in the region – this Saturday night, for example, late in Brazil, the thermometers in Kiev registered minus 3ºC.
Ukrenergo, the company that manages the power grid, said its workers were rushing to fix the damage and that the grid was experiencing a power deficit caused by previous attacks. Later, the Ukrainian Energy Minister, German Galushchenko, reinforced the critical situation and said that the coming days will be difficult.
DTEK, the largest private electricity company, has introduced emergency blackouts in Kiev, the Kiev region and Odessa.
Saturday’s attacks come as Ukrainian and Russian forces battle for control of Soledar, a small salt mining town in eastern Ukraine that has been the focus of battles for days. Moscow said on Friday that its forces had taken control of the township, but Kiev said its troops were still fighting in the city.
At the same time, Moldova’s Interior Ministry said on Saturday that missile debris had been found in the north of the country after the latest Russian air strikes in Ukraine. It is uncertain how the country will react to the situation.
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