Ukraine: the death toll from the Russian strike on a building in Dnipro rises to 20, including six children
Eva Deschamps / January 16, 2023
Rescuers were busy Sunday morningtrying to find survivors in the ruins of a building in Dnipro, eastern Ukraine, hit the day before by a Russian strike whose death toll rose to 20.
Twenty innocent victims," lamented the head of the regional military administration of Dnipropetrovsk, Valentyn Reznichenko on Telegram, noting that 73 people were injured.
"Rescue operations are continuing. The fate of more than 40 people remains unknown," he added.
A video posted by Ukrainian rescue services on Facebook and Telegram showed rescuers searching through the rubble of the building overnight.
A previous report released overnight said at least 14 people were killed, including a 15-year-old girl, and 64 injured in the bombing of the building. Rescue workers managed to extract 38 survivors from the rubble.
According to the Ukrainian presidency, between 100 and 200 people are homeless as a result of the strike, and some 1,700 residents of Dnipro were without electricity and heating.
In the south, in Kryvyi Rig, one person was killed and another injured in the destruction of apartment buildings by a strike, according to an official report.
In total, "the enemy carried out three air strikes and about 50 missile launches during the day" on Saturday, the Ukrainian army headquarters said. "In addition, the occupiers launched 50 attacks with multiple rocket launchers."
Power cuts affected most of the country after these new Russian attacks on power generation facilities, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Neighbouring Moldova claimed to have found missile debris on its territory, near the northern village of Larga. "The brutal war that Russia is waging on Ukraine has once again affected Moldova," its president Maia Sandu protested.
The United Kingdom promised on Saturday to deliver 14 Challenger 2 heavy tanks to Ukraine "within the next few weeks".
This delivery reflects "the ambition of the United Kingdom to intensify its support to Ukraine," said British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to Mr. Zelensky during a phone call.
The United Kingdom becomes the first country to commit to sending this type of armor to Ukraine. Mr. Zelensky thanked London for taking decisions that "will not only strengthen us on the battlefield, but will also send the right signal to other partners.
The announcement caused a reaction from Russian diplomacy, which considered that this arms shipment would "in no way accelerate the end of military hostilities, but only intensify them, causing new victims.
Kiev had already received from its allies heavy tanks of Soviet design - nearly 300 - but none of Western manufacture.
Poland had already said on Wednesday that it was ready to deliver 14 German-designed Leopard 2 heavy tanks, which requires the approval of Berlin.
Several Western countries have also recently announced the supply of lighter infantry or reconnaissance tanks.