A fresh barrage of Russian missiles left at least 12 people dead and 64 wounded in the eastern city, said Ukraine after Britain became the first Western country to offer it the heavy tanks it has long been seeking. Some of the critical infrastructure facilities were also targeted including energy infrastructure across the country.
The latest death toll included a 15-year-old girl when an apartment building was hit in the eastern city of Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk governor Valentyn Reznichenko said on messaging app Telegram, according to the news agency AFP.
Seven children were among the wounded, the youngest three years old, he added, saying "the fate of 26 people is still unknown". Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, "It's not yet known how many people are under the rubble. Unfortunately, the death toll is growing every hour."
In a video shared by ANI citing Reuters, visuals from the attack can be seen that killed at least 12 people and wounded several others in a missile strike.
The British move triggered a swift reaction from Moscow, which warned it would only "intensify" the conflict. Ukraine’s neighbouring region Moldova said debris from the latest Russian missiles had landed on its territory.
While Ukraine insisted that the fighting in Soledar was continuing, Russia had claimed that it had captured the ravaged eastern town following a long battle.
Ukrainian officials denounced the strings of Russian missile attacks across the country, as the country celebrated the Old New Year, a popular holiday in the region.
Ukraine presidential aide Mykhaylo Podolyak called for Russia to be expelled from the UN Security Council.
Key energy infrastructure targeted
Ukrainian officials reported strikes on a power facility. Ukraine's energy facilities operator Ukrenergo said it was working on "eliminating the consequences" of the latest Russian strikes. "There is a hit to an infrastructure facility, without critical destruction or fire," informed the Kyiv city administration.
In the northeastern Kharkiv region, "the enemy launched another missile attack on critical infrastructure and industrial facilities," said governor Oleg Synegubov.
Emergency blackouts were implemented in "most regions" of Ukraine after fresh attacks, energy minister German Galushchenko said on Saturday.
There were attacks reported in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. Zelensky said Ukraine had managed to shoot down 20 of the more than 30 Russian missiles fired. "Unfortunately, energy infrastructure facilities have been also hit," he added, with the Kharkiv and Kyiv regions suffering the most.