In a devastating incident, a residential area in the central city of Dnipro, Ukraine, fell victim to an alleged Russian air strike, resulting in the death of a two-year-old girl and leaving 22 individuals injured.
The governor of the region, Serhiy Lysak, confirmed that the lifeless body of the young girl was recovered from the debris of a house in the Pidhorodnenska community overnight.
Among the injured, five were children, three of whom are currently in a serious condition and receiving treatment at a hospital.
Disturbing footage shared earlier by Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, depicted rescue workers sifting through the remnants of a two-story building.
Zelensky promptly held Russia accountable for the attack, yet the Kremlin has yet to issue a statement addressing the events.
Meanwhile, explosions have been heard in the capital city of Kyiv, leading to the deployment of air defense systems.
Prior to these incidents, the entire country had been placed on high alert for potential air raids.
Characterizing the blast in Dnipro as a deliberate Russian strike, Zelensky’s claims contradict Russia’s previous denials of targeting civilians during their invasion of Ukraine.
As a consequence of the alleged strike, fires erupted in a northern district of the city, according to the regional governor.
Seventeen of the injured individuals were transported to hospitals for medical treatment.
Reports of explosions emerged from various parts of the country, prompting the early engagement of air defense systems in repelling air attacks near Kyiv, as stated by the head of the military administration of the Ukrainian capital, Serhiy Popko, on the Telegram messaging channel.
All missiles aimed at the city were successfully intercepted and neutralized.
In Sumy, a city in the north, officials recorded 87 blasts resulting from Russian shelling, causing injuries and infrastructural damage.
The Russian-occupied southern cities of Berdyansk and Melitopol also reported a series of explosions, although information remains limited.
Central city Kropyvnitsky also witnessed reported explosions.
In a related development, Russian officials announced on Saturday that two additional fatalities occurred due to fresh attacks in the border region of Belgorod.
Local authorities attributed blame to Ukraine, while Ukraine itself asserted that the deaths were the result of Russia’s attempt to target fighters opposing the Moscow government.
The region has recently experienced a wave of attacks, including a significant cross-border incursion at the end of last month, which Moscow claimed resulted in the deaths of 70 attackers.
Kyiv denied direct involvement and reiterated that the attack was carried out by Russian paramilitaries.
Furthermore, a close aide of President Zelensky, Dr. Ihor Zhovkva, stated that Ukraine is not yet prepared to initiate its long-awaited counter-offensive against the occupying Russian soldiers.
Speaking to the UK’s Sunday Times newspaper, Dr. Zhovkva attributed the delay to a shortage of weaponry and ammunition.
These remarks appear contradictory to Zelensky’s earlier statement, wherein he expressed Ukraine’s readiness to commence the maneuver.
The Sunday Times observed that inconsistent comments from Ukrainian officials may be a deliberate effort to confound Moscow.
