On Monday, Russian missiles slammed into an apartment complex and a university building in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, causing devastation and claiming the lives of four people while leaving scores injured. The powerful blasts trapped residents under the rubble, as Ukraine's Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported the grim aftermath.
According to Interior Minister Klymenko, one of the two missiles struck the apartment building between the fourth and ninth floors, resulting in significant destruction. Videos of the incident showed billowing black smoke and damaged vehicles lining the once serene tree-lined streets.
Among the casualties was a 10-year-old girl, as stated by the officials. Serhii Lysak, Governor of Dnipro, confirmed that 53 people were wounded in the morning attack. The university building also faced severe damage due to the missile strike, as AP reported.
Simultaneously, in partially occupied Donetsk province, a Ukrainian artillery strike in the regional capital killed two people and injured six, according to Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-installed leader of the illegally annexed province. A bus in Donetsk was also hit multiple times by Ukrainian forces, said Pushilin. However, neither side's claims could be independently verified.
The recent escalation in the Ukrainian counteroffensive, supported by weaponry from Kyiv's Western allies, aims to drive out Russian forces from occupied areas, leading to intensified hostilities. Ukraine has reportedly extended the conflict deep into Russia, with drones allegedly targeting sites as far away as Moscow.
The use of Ukrainian drones in Russia and Moscow-annexed territories, particularly Crimea, has become more frequent. In the latest incident on Sunday, drone attacks caused damage to two office buildings near the Kremlin. In response, Russia heightened security measures, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov describing the drone attack as an "act of desperation."
Peskov expressed concern over the effectiveness of the resources transferred by NATO countries to the Kyiv regime, questioning their impact in light of the counteroffensive's challenges. The situation has also raised questions in Western capitals and caused discomfort among taxpayers in those countries.
Apart from the missile strikes in Kryvyi Rih and Donetsk province, another Ukrainian drone targeted a district police department in Russia's Bryansk region, resulting in no casualties, as reported by the local governor.
Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has occasionally been targeted by the Kremlin's forces since they invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The bombardment of populated areas with missiles, artillery, and drones has been a consistent element of Moscow's military strategy during the war, which continues during the ongoing counteroffensive.
Russian officials claim that they only target legitimate military objectives, but Ukraine and its supporters assert that civilian casualties during previous attacks provide evidence of war crimes.
Responding to the attacks, President Zelenskyy stated in a social media statement, "In recent days, the enemy has been stubbornly attacking cities, city centers, shelling civilian objects and housing. But this terror will not frighten us or break us."
Furthermore, Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, associated with the Wagner Group, announced on Monday that the company is not currently recruiting fighters. In an audio message, Prigozhin stated that Wagner Group suspended recruitment due to the current lack of personnel.
