At least 16 civilians, including a 15-year-old boy, were injured in Russian airstrikes on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia late Sunday, Ukrainian officials said on Monday.
Zaporizhzhia Governor Ivan Fedorov reported via Telegram that Russia launched at least seven airstrikes on the city and its surrounding areas, damaging 13 apartment buildings, schools, cars, garages, and private homes. Ukrainian rescue teams evacuated residents from several damaged buildings, and initial reports from Ukraine’s Interior Ministry indicated that Russia used guided aerial bombs in the strikes.
The Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia comes a day after Ukrainian officials reported a similar Russian attack on residential high-rise apartments the city of Kharkiv in which 21 people were wounded.
Both Russia and Ukraine have consistently denied targeting civilians in their attacks. However, since the full-scale invasion by Russia in February 2022, thousands of civilians—mostly Ukrainians—have been killed in the ongoing war.
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In an escalation of hostilities, Russia launched a total of 363 air and ground strikes on 12 settlements in Ukraine’s border Zaporizhzhia region within the past 24 hours, Zaporizhzhia Governor Ivan Fedorov, disclosed. The strikes targeted the region where Zaporizhzhia city, the administrative center, is located. Ukraine’s emergency services shared footage of rescuers working through the night, clearing debris and helping the injured in front of damaged residential buildings.
In addition to these attacks, Russia also launched two guided air missiles and four attack drones overnight, Ukraine’s air force explained. Three of the drones were intercepted and shot down over the northeastern Sumy region. The air force reported that the two missiles and one additional drone failed to reach their targets due to Ukraine’s active anti-aircraft defense.
This wave of attacks is part of Russia’s ongoing aggression in the region, continuing the pattern of airstrikes and drone assaults amid the war, which has seen widespread civilian casualties and destruction.
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