Five dead as Ukrainian apartment block in Dnipro smashed in Russian missile attack

Russia launched a huge missile attack on Ukraine on Saturday, destroying a nine-story apartment building in Dnipro, killing at least five people and targeting important energy facilities across the country, according to officials.

German Galushchenko, the country’s Energy Minister, warned that the strikes, which hit the majority of the regions, would make the next days “difficult.”

According to the deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office, fifteen people were rescued after being buried under a piece of an apartment building that was turned to rubble in the east-central city of Dnipro, where smoke billowed into the sky.

“Tragedy. I’ve gone to the site…. We will be going through the rubble all night,” Borys Filatov, mayor of the rocket-making city on the Dnipro river, said.

According to the regional governor, at least 27 people were injured in the incident, including six children, and many were still trapped beneath the rubble.

Images showed firefighters putting out a blaze around the wreckage of several autos. A large portion of the apartment complex was missing. The rest of the building’s exterior was severely destroyed.

In footage aired by Ukrainian state television Suspilne, injured individuals were carried away on stretchers.

Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February, has been bombarding its energy infrastructure with missiles and drones since October, resulting in widespread blackouts and delays to central heating and running water as winter approaches.

Missiles also struck vital infrastructure facilities in the eastern area of Kharkiv, which borders Russia, and the western region of Lviv, which borders Poland, according to officials.

The entire Kharkiv region lost power after officials were forced to order emergency power cuts. In Lviv, disruptions to electricity and water supplies were also possible, regional governor Maxim Kozytsky said.

“Thanks to efficient air defence work in Kyiv, damage to critical infrastructure objects was avoided,” Serhiy Popko, head of the city military administration, said.

Moldova’s interior ministry said missile debris had been found in the north of the country near the Ukraine border following the air strikes.

The attack on Saturday came hours after a smaller-scale missile attack hit critical infrastructure in Kyiv and the eastern city of Kharkiv. The first attack was unusual because missiles struck their targets before the air raid siren even sounded. No one was reported hurt then, but missile debris caused a fire in one area and houses were damaged outside the capital, officials said.

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