A Russian missile and drone strike killed at least five people and wounded 34 others in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Wednesday (3), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. The leader also called on the West to provide more air defenses and long-range weapons to the country.
Footage filmed by a witness and posted by Zelensky on the Telegram messaging app showed a huge explosion in the sky, followed by a fireball hurtling towards the ground.
“Everything is damaged inside, everything is damaged outside. I have tremors in my body, in my hands, it’s all very scary,” Olha, the manager of a cafe that was hit, told Reuters.
The woman said some of her employees were injured and suffered concussions.
Georgyi, an elderly man with a bandaged nose and bloodied face, told Reuters after the incident that “there was such a strong explosion that the wave hit me and I fell.”
Russia denies targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure.
Thousands of civilians have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“This Russian terror can only be stopped by modern air defenses and our long-range weapons,” Zelensky said. “The world can protect lives, and only the determination of leaders is needed.”
Borys Filatov, the city’s mayor, announced a day of mourning for Thursday (4). The Ukrainian said on Telegram that the attack damaged kindergartens, schools and hospitals and caused fires across the city. Office buildings were also damaged, authorities said.
“The morning was not good for us. The enemy launched a combined attack on our city,” said Serhiy Lysak, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region.
At least 11 people were taken to hospital and two were in serious condition, according to Lysak.
The Ukrainian Air Force said Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk region with seven missiles and five Shahed drones. Air defenses were able to shoot down five missiles and all the drones, it added.
Russia has stepped up airstrikes on Ukrainian cities in recent months as its forces attempt to advance. They have targeted power installations, causing widespread blackouts across the country.
Source: CNN Brasil

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