Ukraine on Tuesday halted its search for survivors in Dnipro, under the rubble of a residential building destroyed by a Russian missile; a bombardment, one of the deadliest of the war, which left 45 dead and twenty missing according to a latest report.
Regional Governor Valentyn Reznitchenko reported 45 deaths, including six children, on Tuesday afternoon. The previous balance reported 44 dead, 20 missing and 79 wounded.
Earlier, the Ukrainian rescue services had indicated on Telegram that “search and rescue operations have been completed at the site of the missile attack in the city of Dnipro.”
It is one of the deadliest bombing raids on a civilian site since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearly eleven months ago.
More than 200 apartments razed
On Saturday, a missile opened the Quai de la Victoire building in Dnipro (East) in two, destroying “more than 200 apartments,” according to Kyrylo Tymoshenko, an official of the Ukrainian presidency.
The building collapsed in on itself, trapping dozens of people under the rubble.
For almost four days, the emergency services tried to find survivors, with the reinforcement of cranes and a canine brigade. They said 39 people had been rescued.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed on Monday that “all those guilty of this war crime will be identified and brought to justice.”
The Russians blame Ukraine
For its part, Russia denied, as in previous episodes, any involvement in the carnage and blamed the Ukrainians. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov spoke on Monday of a “tragedy” which he said could be caused by a shot from Ukrainian air defense.
The building came under attack during a new wave of massive bombings of Ukrainian energy facilities, a campaign launched by the Kremlin in October and aimed at plunging Ukrainians into cold and darkness after Russia suffered a series of military setbacks.
On the diplomatic front, Westerners have reaffirmed their support for their Ukrainian ally, which continues to call for more weapons, particularly tanks, to further push the Russian army back from the territories it occupies.
“The message we are sending to (President Vladimir) Putin is that we are committed to defending the Ukrainians until they win,” British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said at a Washington think tank.
Source: BFM TV
