At least three people were killed and twenty-five were left injured on Tuesday after Russian forces launched missile attacks on several civilian buildings in the central Ukrainian city and hometown of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kryvyi Rih overnight, said local officials. The regional governor of Dnipropetrovsk Serhiy Lysak said several others were also left trapped under the rubble. Lysak also said that rescue operations were underway in all the missile-hit buildings and in a destroyed warehouse, reported Reuters. During the missile attack, a five-storey apartment flat was hit hard, and the windows were left smashed, reported BBC.
Lysak said, as quoted by Reuter, "There are still people under the rubble of a building. There was a fire there." Without divulging more details, city mayor Oleksandr Vilkul said at least seven people were trapped under the rubble.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiyy who was born in Kryvyi Rih, has strongly condemned the attack on his hometown. Zelenskyy offered his condolences to the families of those killed in the attack, promising that Russian “terrorists will never be forgiven” and would be “held accountable for every missile they launch”.
Zelenskiyy said, as quoted by Reuters, "Russian killers continue their war against residential buildings, ordinary cities and people."
“Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded. The rescue operation in Kryvyi Rih continues. My condolences to all those who have lost their loved ones,” he wrote in a tweet.
During the early hours of Tuesday, air raid sirens were heard across the whole of Ukraine. The capital city of Kyiv was also attacked. However, officials stated that almost all such attacks were repelled.
Kyiv's military officials said air defence forces destroyed all Russian missiles targeting the Ukrainian capital, Reuters.
“All enemy targets in the airspace around Kyiv were detected and successfully destroyed by the forces and means of air defence,” the administration said, adding there was no immediate information on any casualties or damage.
Ukraine's top military command revealed that air forces destroyed 10 out of 14 cruise missiles Russia launched on Ukraine and one of the four Iranian-made drones.
The latest wave of air attacks comes as Ukraine claimed to have retaken several villages and made advances in its counteroffensive against Russian forces.
Meanwhile, earlier on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that offensive and defensive operations against Russian forces were underway and that his top commanders were in a "positive" frame of mind as their troops engaged in fierce fighting along the front line.