At least three people have been reported dead and about 15 others severely injured following a missile launched on the eastern-central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, as confirmed by the acting governor of Dnipropetrovsk region, Vladyslav Gaivanenko
“The number of injured has risen to 15. Twelve people have been hospitalized, six of them in critical condition,” the regional administration said.
An incoming missile alert was issued to residents at 8.30 am local time (6.30 am UK time), calling on people to take shelter.
Russia had launched 89 attack drones against Ukraine, and air defenses shot down 63 of them, with a strike on Mykolaiv causing a fire on the roof of a residential high-rise.
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“The rescue operation is ongoing, with preliminary damage to a service station and an enterprise. The survey of the area is ongoing, and the consequences are being clarified,” said Gaivanenko through a telegram message.
All victims are said to be civilians, including at least one child among the injured, with the cause of injuries said to be emanating from shrapnel, blast trauma, and smoke inhalation, affecting residents in nearby buildings shaken by the explosion.
Previous Dnipro Attacks
A January 2023 Dnipro apartment hit that eventually reached 46 deaths resonates with this escalation in reported casualties, aligning with patterns in similar strikes, where initial tallies rise as bodies are located under collapsed structures.
Zelensky’s Word
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is currently at the Elysee Palace in Paris for talks with Emmanuel Macron, while addressing the attacks in a midday briefing, called the strike a cynical escalation, urging faster Western deliveries of air defense munitions.
He tied it to Russia’s rejection of U.S. peace proposals from the Florida summit, warning of systematic civilian targeting to pressure negotiations in what he termed as “some tough issues that still have to be worked out”.
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He says the Ukrainian delegation in Florida will return to Europe in the coming days.
“After speaking with them and receiving a full report on how the negotiations went, we will decide on our further activities. And for today, we have talks planned with our friends in Europe. It will be a very substantive day. Diplomacy, defense, energy – the priorities are clear,” Zelenskyy says.
External Support for Ukraine
The attack has seen the Dutch government in the Netherlands announce that it will contribute another £219m to the NATO initiative to buy US weapons for Ukraine, as the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) allows European and Canadian NATO allies to fund the purchase of weapons and military equipment from the US for Ukraine.
Speaking before a meeting with his EU colleagues in Brussels, Dutch defense minister Ruben Brekelmans said the money will go towards helping defend Ukraine from Russian air attacks.
“On a daily basis, we see heavy air attacks in Ukraine. The only way to help them on short notice is by delivering out of American stock,” he said
In November, the Nordic and Baltic countries announced a joint £378m package in support of Ukraine.
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