Russians launched guided aerial bombs and missiles at Zaporizhzhia, killing at least 13 and injuring 123 (updated)
Russians have attacked an industrial facility in the city of Zaporizhzhia, killing 13 people, according to Ivan Fedorov, head of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration. A total of 123 injured people sought medical assistance.
Footage has emerged showing one high-rise building ablaze, and a number of vehicles on fire. Graphic images posted online showed first responders treating casualties on the roadside, several vehicles on fire and a stationary tram with its windows shattered.
At 16:15, Fedorov reported repeated explosions in the city.
In a statement later that day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that “there is nothing more cruel than launching aerial bombs on a city, knowing that ordinary civilians will suffer”.
And appealing to Ukraine’s allies for more support, he said “that only through strength can such a war be ended with a lasting peace”.
On January 10, Fedorov reported that 66 people are presently being treated in hospitals, with 11 of them in serious condition. Another 50 people are receiving outpatient care.
Fedorov emphasised that this is the largest attack on Zaporizhzhia since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with such a huge number of victims occurring at the same time.
He added that the Russians carried out the attack during rush hour, when locals were returning from work, which explains why there were so many of those affected. Two minibuses were destroyed, killing passengers, and two persons were killed in a tram passing by the scene of the attack.
A day of mourning will be declared across the Zaporizhzhia region on Thursday.
By way of background, Russians carried out five strikes on the frontline town of Stepnohirsk in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast on January 8, and killed two people.
On the night of January 1-2, 2025, they also launched an attack on the town of Stepnohirsk using guided aerial bombs, resulting in the destruction of a five-storey building and the death of a man.
According to Ivan Fedorov, Head of Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration, the enemy struck Stepnohirsk 11 times with guided bombs.
ZMINA consistently reports on the ongoing international crimes in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
President Zelenskyy reported on social media on January 5 that over the past week, Russia has used more than 630 attack drones, nearly 740 guided aerial bombs, and almost 50 missiles of various types against Ukraine. These weapons contained over 50,000 sanctioned components from around the world.
He noted that 8,755 foreign-made components were used in the Shahed drones that attacked Ukraine at night.
“Sanction pressure on supply routes for foreign components is insufficient. Russia continues to receive the components and means of production it needs from almost all over the world and uses them in weapons to terrorize Ukraine,” the president emphasised.
In July, the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise of the Ministry of Justice reported that the missiles and drones that Russia uses for daily attacks on Ukraine contain components manufactured in over 20 countries.
Earlier, Financial Times reported that Russia is constructing ten nuclear power units abroad to meet the growing demand for energy driven by artificial intelligence and emerging markets. Russia is intensifying its efforts to strengthen its global influence by expanding its nuclear fleet, building plants in Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Iran, and Turkey.
A report by The Insider has revealed that Russian oligarchs close to Vladimir Putin continue to profit from exports to the West. They circumvent sanctions through a loophole that allows companies to operate in EU markets provided that the share owned by the sanctioned individuals is less than 50%. The report covers Oleg Deripaska, Viktor Vekselberg, Andrey Skoch, Andrey Guryev, Vladimir Litvinenko, Roman Abramovich.
