At least eight dead as massive Russian drone and balistic missile wave hits Ukraine overnight (updating)
At least eight people were killed in Russian strikes across Ukraine overnight, including five in the central city of Dnipro, where officials said an apartment building was hit, BBC News reported.
Aftermath of Russian attack on Dnipro cityUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the latest attack lasted “practically all night”, while rescue workers were still searching for survivors under rubble in Dnipro on Saturday morning.
Ukrainian authorities said they repelled the vast majority of the more than 600 Russian drones, which appears to have been the largest attack in several days.
Zelenskyy wrote on social media: “The Russians’ tactics have not changed: strike drones, cruise missiles, and a significant amount of ballistics. Most of the targets are ordinary infrastructure in cities. Residential buildings, energy, and enterprises have been damaged,” he elaborated.
Russians have been shelling the city of Dnipro for ten hours. Later, they struck the city a second time. They killed a total of six people, according to Oleksandr Hanzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration. In total, 34 people, including a nine-year-old boy, were injured in this city as a result of Russian overnight attacks and during the day on 25 April.
The Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration later reported that 47 people had been injured in the Russian attack, including five children. Twenty-three people injured were taken to the hospital. Two women aged 26 and 44 are in a serious condition. A boy, 15, and a girl, 16, were also hospitalized in moderate condition.
Russian missiles and drones also targeted Odesa and Kharkiv.
The Chernihiv Oblast Military Administration stated that Russian forces struck the city of Nizhyn, likely using a ballistic missile and Shahed-type drones.
Aftermath of the Russian strike on the Chernihiv OblastThe two killed were men aged 30 and 60. A 54-year-old man was taken to the hospital with shrapnel wounds. An elderly woman was also injured.
In the Horodnia “hromada,” a local government area that includes one or more nearby settlements, dozens of houses were damaged in the attack, with five people reported injured.
Drones also struck a hospital in the city of Semenivka.
The Chernihiv Oblast Military Administration added that 27 attacks occurred in the oblast over the past 24 hours.
Aftermath of the Russian strike on the Chernihiv OblastIn the Bila Tserkva district of the Kyiv Oblast, critical infrastructure facilities, warehouses, and production premises were damaged in Russian strikes, according to the Head of the Kyiv Oblast State Administration, Mykola Kalashnyk.
Russians also damaged the premises and specialized equipment of the State Emergency Service (SES) rescue squad. All necessary operational services are already on-site, and the cleanup is ongoing, he noted.
According to Kalashnyk, there were no civilian casualties tonight.
“We well understand that the enemy does not stop its attempts to leave our people without electricity, water, and basic living conditions. That is why today, more than ever, it is important to strengthen the resilience of our communities, bolster energy independence, and be ready for any challenges,” Kalashnyk emphasized.
Meanwhile, Ukraine carried out some of its longest-distance drone strikes deep inside Russian territory.
In Yekaterinburg, almost 1,000 miles (1,600km) from Ukraine’s border, the governor said six people were injured when a building was struck, while in nearby Chelyabinsk, a local leader said drones targeting an industrial facility were intercepted.
Elsewhere, Romania’s defence ministry said it was investigating “the fall of an object” on its territory close to the Ukrainian border during the Russian attack.
Following Russia’s massive overnight attack on Ukraine, its Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated the need for the rapid implementation of key EU decisions that were recently unblocked.
“Key EU decisions have already been unblocked, and they must be immediately and fully implemented. Any delay only serves Moscow’s interests. The only adequate response to Russian terror is maximum pressure, strengthening sanctions, and expanding support for Ukraine to stop this aggression and restore security in Europe,” he stated.
The Minister also emphasized that Russia’s leadership must be held fully accountable for these war crimes.
