Russian forces launched a barrage of missiles and drones across several parts of Ukraine overnight, killing at least 28 people, including five children, Ukrainian authorities said on Wednesday. Dozens of others were injured, while residential buildings and other infrastructure sustained extensive damage.
The deadliest strike was reported in the Pryluky district of Chernihiv region, where a Russian missile hit a five-storey apartment building, catching residents in their homes as they slept.
The powerful blast shattered windows throughout the building and set fire to nearly half of the structure, leaving behind a scene of twisted metal, broken concrete and burning debris.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement that three of the children killed in the attacks were just 12 months old, while another was eight. Ukraine’s Interior Ministry later said the body of another child had been recovered from beneath the rubble in the evening.
A separate statement from Zelenskyy’s office said 20 people were killed in the strike on the apartment building in Pryluky. Several others were injured, including seven children, according to the president.
Zelenskyy accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilian areas and ordinary people.
“The continued use of missiles against our people and children is a deliberate step to create terror,” Zelenskyy said, arguing that attacks on civilian populations were intended to spread fear.
The devastation was described by residents who survived the strike. Olena Saiun, a 40-year-old resident of Pryluky, told AFP that she and her family had been asleep when the explosion struck.
The blast sent shards of glass flying through their home. Saiun said she and her husband shielded their child with their bodies and suffered cuts and other injuries in the process. Their frightened child became extremely distressed, forcing the family to seek shelter in a bathroom.
Local residents said the attack on Pryluky began at around 6:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday. A day earlier, Zelenskyy had warned that Russia could launch a large-scale attack, particularly against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
As winter approaches, Russian air attacks have also intensified over the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. Air-raid sirens have sounded repeatedly, prompting residents to spend nights in underground subway stations with bags, sleeping mats and blankets.
Irina Rybalchenko, a bank employee sheltering on a subway platform, told AFP that she and others had brought essential belongings with them.
“Everyone in Kyiv is frightened,” she said, adding that people were sometimes unable to reach their workplaces during air-raid alerts, while office groups and other communication channels regularly issued warnings.
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched at least 50 missiles and 130 drones against several regions on Wednesday, including Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Kharkiv and Poltava.
Ukrainian air-defence systems intercepted and destroyed some of the incoming missiles and drones, the Air Force said, although not all of the attacks could be stopped.
Zelenskyy described Wednesday’s barrage as one of the most devastating attacks of the nearly five-year-old war. He said intercepting ballistic missiles remained one of Ukraine’s greatest challenges and stressed the urgent need for additional and more advanced air-defence systems.
The attacks also raised questions among residents about their military purpose. Yulia Shamrai, 31, who lives near the damaged apartment building in Pryluky, told AFP that she could not understand what military objective Russia had achieved by striking the residential area.
The civilian casualties, destruction of residential buildings and increasingly frequent air-raid sirens in Kyiv have renewed fears among Ukrainians as the winter season approaches. The latest attacks have also intensified concerns over the security of critical civilian infrastructure and the ability of the country’s air-defence network to protect populated areas.
Source: AFP