The national emergency service said on Sunday that the death toll from a Russian missile strike on an apartment building in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro increased to 30 as rescue workers struggled to locate survivors in the wreckage.
Officials estimated that over 1,700 people resided in the multi-story residential structure before Saturday's attack. Emergency crews worked through the chilly night and throughout the day to restore the facility. According to The Associated Press-Frontline War Crimes Watch project, the claimed death toll made it the worst attack in a single location since a Sept. 30 attack in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region.
Russia also targeted the capital, Kyiv, and the northeastern city of Kharkiv on the same day, ending a two-week lull in the practically weekly attacks it has undertaken since October against Ukraine's power infrastructure and urban centres.
Russia acknowledged the missile attacks on Sunday but did not identify the residential complex in Dnipro. Russia has frequently denied using people as targets in the conflict.
According to Gen. Valerii Zaluzhny, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, Russia fired 33 cruise missiles on Saturday, of which 21 were intercepted. According to the military's air force leadership, the rocket that struck the apartment building was a Kh-22 launched from Russia's Kursk region. Ukraine lacks a system capable of intercepting this sort of weapon.
Workers in Dnipro utilized a crane to rescue persons stuck on the upper floors of an apartment building. Some residents requested assistance using the lights on their mobile phones.
Sunday afternoon, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that at least 73 people were injured and 39 people had been rescued. According to the Dnipro municipal government, 43 persons have been reported missing.
"Search and rescue operations and the dismantlement of potentially hazardous structural elements continue." 24 hours per day. We will continue to battle for every life," added Zelenskyy.
Ivan Garnuk was in his flat when the building was struck, and he expressed gratitude for his survival. He emphasized his astonishment that the Russians would attack a residential structure with no strategic purpose.
"No military facilities exist here. Nothing exists here, he stated. "Neither air defence nor military bases exist here. It has just struck innocent folks."
Residents of Dnipro joined rescue workers at the scene to assist with debris removal. Others provided food and warm clothing to individuals whose homes had been destroyed.
As he cleared rubble, a local guy named Artem Myzychenko stated, "This is undeniably terrorism, and none of it is human."
Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed responsibility for the missile attacks across Ukraine and stated that the mission was accomplished.
"All set objectives have been attained. According to a ministry statement issued on Telegram, the attack's objective has been accomplished. It stated that missiles were fired "against the Ukrainian military command and control system and related energy facilities" but did not mention the attack on the residential building in Dnipro.
Sunday, the Russian military targeted a residential neighbourhood in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, according to a Telegram message from regional governor Yaroslav Yanushevych. According to initial reports, two people were injured.
Russia's resumed air raids occurred as the furious battle raged in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk province, where the Russian military claims to have taken control of the small salt-mining town of Soledar. In contrast, Ukraine claims its troops are still engaged in combat.
If the Russian forces can fully occupy Soledar, they can move closer to the larger city of Bakhmut. The struggle for Bakhmut has raged for months, with both sides suffering significant losses.
As the arduous conflict neared the eleven-month mark, the United Kingdom said it would donate tanks to Ukraine for the first time. Although the promise of fourteen Challenger 2 tanks seems modest, Ukrainian officials anticipate it may persuade other Western governments to provide other tanks.
"Sending Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine is the beginning of a shift in U.K. support," the office of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated late Saturday. "In the following weeks, a squadron of fourteen tanks will enter the country after the prime minister informed President Zelenskyy that the United Kingdom will provide extra help for Ukraine's land war. Five gunners are scheduled to operate approximately thirty AS90s, which are massive self-propelled guns.
According to officials, Sunak hopes that other Western friends would follow similarly as part of a coordinated international push to increase support for Ukraine ahead of the first anniversary of the invasion next month.
This week, the British defence minister will travel to Estonia and Germany to cooperate with NATO partners. At the same time, the foreign secretary will visit the United States and Canada to discuss closer collaboration.
