Russian Missile Strike in Zaporizhzhia Claims Eight Lives

Local authorities report that a missile strike launched by Russia resulted in the deaths of at least eight individuals and caused injuries to 22 others, among them a child, in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia. Police indicate that up to five individuals might remain buried beneath debris following Tuesday’s assault on a private medical facility and residential structures located in the city’s central area. During the night, emergency responders extracted two women from the debris, who are currently receiving medical care. Search and rescue efforts are ongoing. Ivan Fedorov, the head of the Zaporizhzhia region, stated that Russia deployed a ballistic missile, probably an Iskander. The Russian defence ministry has refrained from making a statement. Earlier on Wednesday, regional officials in Zaporizhzhia had reported six fatalities from the Russian attack. Subsequently, later that day, they announced that one of the wounded women succumbed to her injuries in the hospital, and the remains of an additional casualty were recovered from the wreckage. Concerns persist that the number of deceased could increase as the search efforts proceed. Fedorov extended his sympathies to the families of those affected, simultaneously pledging that Russia would be held accountable for “every Ukrainian life taken and mutilated.” He declared, “We will not forgive!” Wednesday has been designated as a day of mourning throughout the Zaporizhzhia region. Ukraine has consistently urged its Western partners to supply more sophisticated air defense mechanisms to counter the nearly constant Russian missile and drone assaults. Following the strike in Zaporizhzhia, President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated this appeal. He stated, “We don’t have enough systems to protect our country from Russian missiles. But our partners have these systems. Again and again, we repeat that air defence systems should save lives, not gather dust in warehouses.” In an unrelated incident on Tuesday, both Ukraine and Russia exchanged accusations regarding a drone strike on a motorcade carrying specialists from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear oversight body. The agency reported that one of its vehicles sustained “severely damaged” while the convoy was en route to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). No casualties were reported. Rafael Grossi, the head of the IAEA, denounced the assault on his personnel as “unacceptable,” emphasizing that the agency was “working to prevent a nuclear accident during the military conflict.” Russia took control of the ZNPP, which is Europe’s largest nuclear power facility, shortly after initiating its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Zaporizhzhia constitutes one of four southeastern Ukrainian regions that Russia asserts it has annexed since 2022, despite not fully governing any of them. In 2014, Moscow unlawfully annexed Ukraine’s southern Crimea peninsula. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.