Published on •Updated
Russian strikes on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia killed at least 15 people, including three children, and injured 16 others on Saturday, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (DSNS) said.
“Medical staff are doing everything they can to help everyone,” Ivan Fedorov, the regional governor, wrote in a post on Telegram.
Search and rescue operations are ongoing.
Ukrainian national police said Russian forces had targeted residential areas of the city with five guided aerial bombs early on Saturday, with two of them striking blocks of flats.
The DSNS reported that an aerial bomb had “completely destroyed the entrance to a three-storey block of flats” in the city whilst also damaging other buildings and private homes.
“Rescue workers have extinguished the fire and are currently continuing to clear the rubble and search for people,” the service said.
Russia also launched 160 drones at Ukraine overnight, according to the Ukrainian air force.
“According to preliminary data, as of 9:00 am, air defences had shot down or neutralised 117 enemy UAVs of the Shahed type (82 of which were jet-powered), Gerber, and other types of drones,” the force said, adding that strikes had been recorded at 14 locations.
Zelenskyy slams Trump diesel announcement
It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hit out at what he called “gifts to Putin” after the US announced a deal to buy Russian diesel.
Trump said on Friday that he had “concluded a highly successful discussion with President Vladimir Putin” and that the pair had agreed Russia would “immediately supply over 300,000 tons of diesel fuel to the American and global marketplace,” with more to follow.
Zelenskyy issued a sharp retort to the announcement, warning that “gifts to Putin will not bring peace or any benefit to the civilized world.”
“Allowing Russia to sell petroleum products is an investment in a war that must be ended, not prolonged. What is needed is real de-escalation with Russia on a reciprocal basis,” he added in a post on X.