KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — In a devastating overnight attack, Russian missiles have destroyed a warehouse and an apartment building in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, resulting in the death of at least 11 people and the injury of over two dozen others. This attack, which took place in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown, comes as Ukrainian forces are engaged in a counteroffensive to reclaim the one-fifth of Ukrainian territory currently under Russian occupation.
The recent wave of missile strikes from Russian forces targeting various locations in Ukraine has been causing significant damage. Tuesday’s attack in Kryvyi Rih marks one of the deadliest single attacks thus far. In April, a missile strike in the city of Uman killed 23 people, including six children.
President Zelenskyy shared images of the aftermath of the missile attack on his Telegram channel, displaying firefighters battling the blaze and the destruction caused to the apartment building. He condemned the ongoing attacks on residential areas and expressed his frustration with the Russian forces, referring to them as “Russian killers.”
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the missile strikes targeted Ukrainian military reserves and weapons depots containing Western weapons and ammunition. The governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region confirmed the recovery of seven bodies from a private company’s warehouse, and noted that four lives were lost in the apartment building. Search operations have been halted in the area.
In addition to the attack in Kryvyi Rih, the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, was hit with Iranian-made Shahed drones, while the surrounding region was shelled. Two civilians were injured in the town of Shevchenkove, and two buildings in Kharkiv were damaged by a drone strike.
The capital city of Kyiv also came under fire, but the missiles were successfully intercepted and destroyed by air defenses. No casualties have been reported in the city.
In response to the attacks, Ukrainian forces have been actively engaging in an offensive in the south and east of the country. The deputy defense minister of Ukraine confirmed that the offensive is ongoing, with the country’s forces making progress in multiple areas. The head of Ukraine’s ground troops reported that Russian forces are losing ground outside Bakhmut.
Despite these small gains, Ukrainian forces still face a challenging battle to regain the large portion of their country currently under Russian occupation. The recent increase in shelling of front-line towns and villages in Ukrainian-held areas of Donetsk highlights the ongoing struggle.
Russian officials, however, claim that the Ukrainian counteroffensive has failed and allege that Ukrainian forces are suffering significant losses in their attempts to advance. The authenticity of these claims could not be immediately verified.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry released a video showcasing what they claimed to be captured German and U.S. military vehicles – a Leopard 2 tank and a Bradley fighting vehicle. The veracity of the video has yet to be confirmed.
Ukraine’s deputy defense minister announced that in the past week, Ukrainian troops have recaptured seven villages spanning 90 square kilometers of eastern Ukraine. These gains, although significant, remain tenuous in the volatile nature of the conflict.
For up-to-date coverage on the war in Ukraine, follow AP’s ongoing reports: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
