Russian missile attack on southeastern Ukraine leaves one dead and 12 injured

A Russian missile attack hit a nine-story residential building in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Friday, killing at least one person and wounding 12 others, officials said.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko warned that the death toll was likely to rise as more people were trapped in the building where the top four floors collapsed as a result of the attack.

Later statements from the Ministry of the Interior said the fire at the site had been extinguished, the remains of one person were found under the rubble and two people were listed as missing.

Regional governor Serhiy Lysak said the injured included a 7-month-old baby. Three other people were in serious condition.

A photograph posted by Lysak on the Telegram messaging app and other images circulating on social media showed a badly damaged building with smoke billowing from a large hole in the upper floors. Other images showed emergency crews making their way through mounds of rubble.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the photos.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called on Ukraine’s allies to step up supplies of air defenses to help the military intercept Russia’s regular airstrikes.

Dnipro, which had a pre-war population of nearly one million, is a major Ukrainian city located on the road to the east of the country, where the most intense fighting with Russian forces is taking place.

Since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022, Dnipro has regularly been targeted by missile and drone attacks. Russia denies targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, but thousands of people have been killed.