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Ukraine The death toll in the Russian missile attack rises to 23

DNIPRO, Ukraine –

Rescue workers in Ukraine on Sunday scrambled to pull survivors from the rubble of an apartment building hit by a Russian missile a day earlier in the southeastern city of Dnipro.

Emergency crews worked through the frigid night at the multi-storey residential building as the death toll rose to 23, according to the city government. The casualties were the worst from a series of Russian attacks on several cities in Ukraine on Saturday.

The attacks also targeted the capital Kyiv and the northeastern city of Kharkiv, ending a two-week lull in Moscow’s attacks on Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure and urban centers.

Russia fired 33 cruise missiles on Saturday, of which 21 were shot down, according to General Valeriy Zaluzhny, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s armed forces.

At Dnipro, workers used cranes as they tried to rescue people trapped on the upper floors of the apartment tower, where about 1,700 people live. Some residents use cell phones to send out distress calls.

The Dnipro city government on Sunday afternoon reported at least 72 people were injured and 43 were missing. It said 39 people have been rescued so far.

Ivan Garnuk was in his apartment when the building was attacked and said he feels lucky to have survived. He described his shock that the Russians would attack a residential building of no strategic value.

“There are no military facilities here. There is nothing here,” he said. “There’s no air defense, there’s no military base here. It just attacks civilians, innocent people.”

Dnipro residents joined rescuers at the scene to help clear the debris. Others bring food and warm clothing to those who have lost their homes.

“This is clearly terrorism and all of this is simply not human,” said Artem Myzychenko, a local resident, as he cleared the rubble.

Taking responsibility for missile attacks across Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that it had achieved its goal.

“All specified targets have been hacked. The target of the attack has been achieved,” a ministry statement posted on Telegram said. It said the missile was fired “at Ukraine’s military command and control system and related energy facilities”, and did not mention the attack on the Dnipro residential building.

On Sunday, Russian forces attacked a residential area in the city of Kherson, southern Ukraine, Regional Governor Yaroslav Yanushevych said in a Telegram post. According to initial information, two people were injured.

The new Russian airstrikes come as fierce fighting breaks out in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk province, where the Russian military claims it has control of the small salt mining town of Soledar but Ukraine insists its troops are still Fighting.

If Russian forces gain full control of Soledar, that will allow them to move closer to the larger city of Bakhmut. The battle for Bakhmut raged for months, causing significant casualties on both sides.

As the fierce fighting neared the 11-month mark, Britain announced it would supply Ukraine with tanks, the first time providing such heavy weapons. While a commitment to provide 14 Challenger 2 tanks may seem modest, Ukrainian officials predict this will trigger additional tank donations from other Western partners.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office said in a statement late on Saturday: “Sending Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine is the start of a change in UK support.” “A squad of 14 tanks will arrive in Ukraine in the next few weeks after the prime minister told President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy that the UK would provide additional support to support Ukraine’s ground war. About 30 tanks The AS90, which is a large self-propelled howitzer, operated by five gunners, is expected to follow.”

Sunak is hoping other Western allies will follow suit as part of a coordinated international effort to boost support for Ukraine ahead of the one-year anniversary of the invasion next month, according to officials.

The UK defense secretary is scheduled to visit Estonia and Germany this week to work with NATO allies, and the foreign minister is scheduled to visit the US and Canada to discuss closer coordination.

——


Meldrum reported from Kiev. Sylvia Hui in London contributed reporting.



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