Russian Air Strikes Left Five Dead in Dnipro

Picture courtesy: (Dnipro Regional Administration via AP) Rescuers working at a building damaged after Russia’s attack in Dnipro, Ukraine.

(The Post News)- Authorities in Ukraine say a Russian air strike on the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro had killed at least five people, while 53 people were injured in the blast on Wednesday.

Dnipro is a city that has been a victim of Russian attacks since the war started over two years ago, with a pre-war civilian population of around millions.

The regional head, Serhii Lysak, wrote a message via Telegram addressing the attack from Russia that left shops, schools, and hospitals ruined. Lysak described the assault as “vicious.”.

Footage that was posted on social media indicates a large plume of smoke and fire coming from the buildings after the blast had happened.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticised the attack.

He continued his request to the Western allies to assist his government with air defence systems.

The few things that can prevent the Russian horror are modern air defence systems, including long-range weapon capabilities, he added.

Ukraine’s air force argued it threw six drones to the ground, which were five out of seven missiles that had targeted the city on Wednesday morning.

However, in the images posted by Lysak after the buildings opened in the city centre, the glass was shattered and strewn across the ground, which was the result of the Russian air strikes.

An elderly witness, Georgii, stated that it was painful to have a bandaged nose and bloodied face. It was so strong that the explosion was huge.

A 14-year-old girl was among those who were seriously injured, Lysak added. Four other people were also seriously injured and are receiving treatment from the hospital.

The head of the regional council, Mykola Lukashuk, condemned what he named as an act of “cynical terror” by the Russian military.

Borys Filatov, the city’s mayor, has declared an official day of mourning on Thursday.

In a separate situation in eastern Ukraine, two civilians were killed in overnight strikes, the authorities in Donetsk and Luhansk have said.

Last year, at least 40 people lost their lives when a Russian-launched missile slammed into the city around the residential apartment building.

Local prosecutors said that the Russian bombing in Kharkiv killed at least one person, leaving eight injured, and an eight-year-old boy was among the injured victims.

Russia has escalated its aerial attacks on Ukraine in recent months. However, Moscow refused the claim that it targeted civilian infrastructure.

The UN’s human rights monitoring mission argued that May was the worst month for civilian casualties in a year.