Monitoring Desk
KYIV: At least 12 people were killed and 64 wounded in the latest Russian missile attack, targeting civilians in Ukraine, according to international media.
Emergency workers were seen clearing the rubble after a Russian rocket hit a multistory building leaving many people under debris in the southeastern city of Dnipro, Ukraine, on January 14, 2023. AFP reported civilian deaths Saturday after Ukraine stated that a fresh barrage of Russian missiles hit the civilians. Meanwhile, Britain has emerged as the first Western country to offer Ukraine the heavy tanks it has long been seeking for.
The British decision to provide tanks to Ukraine drew a swift reaction from Moscow, which warned it would only “intensify” the conflict. Ukraine also insisted Saturday that the fighting in Soledar was continuing. Ukraine’s statement came a day after Russia claimed that it had captured the eastern town following a long battle.
Ukrainian officials have denounced the fresh deadly Russian missile strikes in parts of the country, as the country celebrated the Old New Year, a popular holiday in the war-ravaged country. At least 12 persons, including a 15-year-old girl, were killed and 64 others injured when an apartment was hit in the eastern city of Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk governor Valentyn Reznichenko said on Telegram. At least seven children were among the wounded, the youngest three years old, he said, adding “the fate of 26 people is still unknown.”
Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrainian President said later, “It is not yet known how many people are under the debris. Unfortunately, the death toll is increasing every hour.”
UK sending tanks to Ukraine
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, earlier Saturday, vowed to provide Challenger-2 tanks to Ukraine to become the first Western country to supply the heavy tanks Kyiv has been seeking. The Russian embassy in the UK immediately said that “bringing tanks to the conflict zone, far from drawing the hostilities to a close, will only serve to intensify combat operations, generating more casualties, including among the civilian population.”
Infrastructure targetted
Ukrenergo, Ukraine’s energy facilities operator said it was working on “eliminating the consequences” of the fresh Russian strikes. AFP journalists heard several explosions in Kyiv, while the Ukrainian officials reported strikes on a power facility.
Emergency blackouts were applied in most parts of Ukraine due to the latest barrage of attacks, German Galushchenko, energy minister for Ukraine said Saturday. The country also reported attacks in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. Ukrainian president Zelensky has said Ukraine had managed to shoot down 20 of the more than 30 Russian missiles fired.
There were still conflicting reports about the fate of Soledar, a salt mining outpost that Russia claimed to have captured, against denials from Ukraine. Both sides have conceded heavy losses in the battle for the town.
