Terrifying moment Ukrainians flee and day turns to night as Russian missile strikes destroy city center killing 23
THIS is the horrifying moment that terrified Ukrainians into fleeing as another barbaric Russian missile attack destroyed a city center.
At least 23 people were killed and more than 100 injured after Putin’s butchers fiercely bombed the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia.
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Shocking CCTV footage has captured the moment the force of the explosion flung pedestrians and cyclists to the ground.
Commoners strolling through a square were seen frantically running for shelter as a cloud of mushroom-black smoke and debris swept over them, turning day into night.
Other horrifying footage shows the moment a cafe employee and a customer are thrown to the floor as a window explodes due to the force of the rocket attack.
The frightened bartender can be seen cowering under the counter as the store is rocked by two massive explosions before the two rush in to help.
Three Russian long-range missiles hit a block of offices and homes and set at least 50 vehicles on fire at 10:50 a.m. local time as fresh terror broke out in broad daylight in the city to the west. central Ukraine – far from the front lines.
Terrifying pictures show the aftermath of the shelling, with a black and pink cart seen lying on its side next to the body of four-year-old Liza Dmitrieva.
Heartbreaking footage shows Liza and her smiling mother – locally named Irina Dmitrieva, 33 – walking home from daycare just an hour before they went on strike.
In a haunting final video Irina shared on her Instagram, she smiles for the camera as she filmed herself and her daughter, who were pushing a stroller.
Irina wears white pants and a shirt, while her daughter wears white pants and a blue denim jacket.
Earlier images showed Irina hugging Liza, who is believed to have Down syndrome as well as arthritis in one leg.
The mother is believed to have survived, although unconfirmed reports suggest that her leg was blown off in the blast.
Ukraine’s state emergency service posted a photo of a toy kitten, a toy dog and flowers lying in the grass and said: “Little Liza, killed by the Russians today, has returned a ray of sunshine”.
And Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska said she met little Liza.
She said: “We were horrified when we saw Vinnytsia’s photo of an overturned stroller. And then, reading the news, I realized I knew this girl.
“We met while filming a Christmas holiday video.”
The brutal Russian attack also wiped out a medical center, killing two staff members and injuring doctors.
Administrators Kateryna Hula, 24, and Tetyana Kharchenko, the center’s manager, are both dead.
And child neurologist Pavlo Kovalchuk and neuroscientist Nataliya Falshtynska are said to be fighting for their lives.
Survivors at the center speak of “indescribable pain and sadness for all who suffer”.
One of the best pediatric neurologists in Ukraine, our colleague Pavlo Vasyliovych Kovalchuk, has been severely affected.
“Now he’s in the hospital with multiple burns and shrapnel, and he needs your help.”
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Dr Falshtynska, a mother of three, suffered a traumatic brain injury and her legs were “completely burned”.
Evhen Kovalenko, 25, a producer for Ukrainian singer Roxolana, is also believed to have been killed in the horror explosion.
Roxolana will perform in the city on Thursday night.
And the band Bratya Gadyukiny said locals who helped organize the concert died in the rocket attack.
“A frenzied fascist monster attacked our center of Vinnytsia,” they said.
“Many people died and were injured.
“Among them were two men who helped us organize a reception and performed in front of our soldiers.
“Vitaly Kabluchko is in intensive care, he is undergoing surgery. Viktor Polishchuk has passed away.”
Rescuers fear the death toll could rise as teams searching for victims in the rubble remain unaccounted for.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Unfortunately, this is not the final number. Debris clearance continues.
“Dozens of people have been reported missing. There are serious injuries among those hospitalized.”
Vinnytsia is one of Ukraine’s largest cities – with a population of 370,000 – and thousands of people from the east have fled there since the war began.
The governor of the Vinnytsia region, Serhiy Borzov, said Ukrainian air defense systems shot down four more Russian missiles in the area.
Angry Ukrainians see the attack as another example of Putin’s “terrorist” war crimes.
It comes after CCTV footage captured the horrifying moment a massive explosion struck near the Amstor shopping center in Kremenchug last month – leaving at least 18 people dead and dozens injured.
And the shocking video also shows the horrifying moment a Russian missile destroyed an apartment complex in Chasiv Yar, killing 15 people and leaving more than 30 trapped under the rubble.
