A Russian aerial assault on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia has resulted in the deaths of at least 15 people, including three children, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky and local emergency services. The attack, which occurred on Saturday morning, involved five glide bombs that struck residential buildings in the southeastern city.
At least 16 other individuals sustained injuries in the bombardment, and search efforts are continuing for those still missing who are believed to be trapped under the debris. Acting Mayor Regina Kharchenko, who spoke from the site, described the destruction of an apartment block where the ground floor was hit, causing the upper levels to collapse. More than 80 workers are currently engaged in search and rescue operations, which are expected to last throughout the day. Kharchenko stated that the strike hit the city's "very heart" and described the loss of children as "awful grief for their families. For the city."
President Zelensky noted that 13 other Ukrainian regions were also targeted overnight and warned that responses to the Russian strikes would follow. Commenting on the escalation of the conflict, he stated that Russia interprets any lack of pressure as a signal to continue the war, adding that Russia must feel its losses to understand the necessity of stopping the conflict. Zaporizhzhia, a major regional center with a population exceeding 700,000, is located less than 10 miles from the front line and faces frequent drone and missile attacks.
This incident follows a series of recent strikes on civilian infrastructure. On Thursday, at least 33 people were killed in a glide bomb attack on civilian buses in Kramatorsk, located in the eastern Donetsk region. Additionally, a Russian missile strike on an apartment block in the town of Pryluky, east of Kyiv, resulted in the deaths of 22 people, including five children, on the previous day. According to United Nations data, civilian casualties in Ukraine have increased by 55% during the first eight months of this year, as both nations continue to intensify attacks on infrastructure.
Photos and videos from the site of one of the strikes show an apartment block mostly destroyed.
She said more than 80 workers were involved in ongoing search and rescue operations which are expected to continue throughout the day.
