A Russian missile attack on the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhia killed at least 13 people and injured dozens of others on Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said.
The attack came just minutes after regional governor Ivan Fedorov warned that “high-speed missiles” and “glide bombs” were headed towards the Zaporizhia region.
The bodies of the victims and those injured in the attack were scattered across the road and nearby paved areas, next to damaged public transportation facilities. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office said debris hit a tram and a bus carrying passengers.
High-rise apartment blocks, an industrial facility and other infrastructure were damaged in the attack. Emergency workers were trying to revive a man, while bright flames, smoke and burnt cars could be seen in the background.
Russian troops used two guided bombs to attack a residential area, Fedorov told reporters. At least four of the injured were taken to hospital in critical condition, he said. Fedorov said Thursday would be an official day of mourning.
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Police officers inspect the bodies of residents killed at a public transport stop during Russian air and missile attacks in Zaporizhia, Ukraine, on January 8, 2025.
“There is nothing more cruel than launching an aerial bomb over a city, knowing that civilians will be harmed,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Twitter.
As he often does, Zelensky urged Ukraine’s Western allies to step up pressure on Russia.
Russia regularly carries out airstrikes on the Zaporizhia region, which is partially controlled by its forces. Moscow claims it has annexed Ukrainian territory along with four other territories, including Crimea, which it unilaterally seized in 2014.
Ukraine attacks fuel depot
Earlier on Wednesday, the Ukrainian military said it attacked a fuel storage depot inside Russia near Engels in the Saratov region, about 600 kilometers east of the Ukrainian border. The attack caused a massive fire at the facility, which supplies a vital Russian airport.
The General Staff of Ukraine said, “The damage to the oil base creates serious logistical problems for the strategic aviation of the Russian occupiers and significantly reduces their ability to attack peaceful Ukrainian cities and civilian objects. The attacks will be continued.”
Russian officials acknowledged a major drone attack in the area and said authorities had set up an emergency command center to fight the fire.
Ukraine’s General Staff said the attack hit a depot that supplies nearby airfields used by aircraft launching cross-border missiles into Ukraine, a statement on Facebook said.
Ukraine is developing its own arsenal of domestically produced long-range missiles and drones capable of reaching well behind the front lines as it faces restrictions on the range that its military can use to deliver its Western-supplied missiles to Russia. Can stain.
Zelensky said last year that his country had developed a weapon that could attack targets 700 kilometers away. Some Ukrainian drone strikes have hit targets more than 1,000 kilometers away.
Meanwhile on Wednesday, outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said any future agreement to end the war in Ukraine would require Russia to develop deterrence to prevent it from once again attacking Ukraine.
Speaking in Paris, Blinken warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin would try to use any ceasefire in Ukraine to redeploy Russian forces and eventually attack Ukraine again.
Some information for this report was received from Associated Press and Reuters.