8 Dead, Over 40 Hurt After Russian Missiles Hit Restaurant, Shopping Area In Ukraine's Kramatorsk

At least eight people died in a Russian missile attack at a restaurant in Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine.

Search and rescue efforts continue after a Russian missile attack hits Ria restaurant in Kramatorsk, Ukraine on June 27, 2023.

Source : Getty Images

At least eight people died and around 40 were left injured after Russian missiles hit the centre of Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine, reported AFP citing officials. As per the report, a restaurant and shopping area was hit in Tuesday's strike on the city, which is under Ukrainian control but close to Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine. The attack comes amid a counter-offensive operation by the Ukrainian military to reclaim territories taken by Russia. Several are feared trapped under the rubble and rescue efforts are on to save them.

BBC cited officials that a 17-year-old girl was reported to be among those killed in the attack. They added that some apartment buildings were at the epicentre of the explosion.

Footage on social media showed significant damage to buildings with some of them being reduced to rubble. Officials say at least 40 people were injured, including an eight-month-old baby and three foreigners, the report said. 

Meanwhile, a rescue operation is currently underway in the city centre, with security agencies assisting emergency services at the scene and evacuating victims. BBC cited local authorities that the area had a high concentration of civilians when the missiles hit. 

"This is the city centre. These were public eating places crowded with civilians," regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko told Ukrainian television, as quoted by BBC. The governor described the restaurant as a local "gathering hub" that was also popular with soldiers, journalists and volunteers. 

Kramatorsk city council said that Russian forces also targeted a nearby village.  

Reacting to the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it proved to Ukraine and the world that Russia deserved "only defeat and a tribunal, just and lawful courts against all Russian murderers and terrorists". The White House also condemned Russia for its "brutal strikes" on Ukraine, the report stated. 

Notably, Kramatorsk has often been targeted by missiles since the start of the invasion in February 2022. The city of 150,000 people is one of the largest still under Ukrainian control in the besieged east. BBC stated that it lies about 30km (18 miles) from the frontline. 

Last year in April, more than 60 people died in Kramatorsk following a missile strike on the city's railway station. The report further added that it is also exactly a year to the day since a shopping centre in the city of Kremenchuk was hit by Russian shelling and killing at least 18 people. 

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