Russia has carried out a new very violent attack against Ukrainian territory. On the night between Friday 24 and Saturday 25 April, Moscow’s armed forces struck the city of Dnipro, as well as some areas in Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Odessa and Kiev. The toll, currently provisional, is at least 12 dead and over 20 injured, including children.
Ukraine still under attack
Five people were killed in Dnipro, four in Kherson, two in Chernihiv and one near Zaporizhzhia. The attack was also confirmed by the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky: “The Russians bombed Dnipro and our other cities and communities practically all night long. Every such attack must remind partners that the situation requires immediate and severe actions, as well as an operational strengthening of our air defense.” According to the air force, Moscow’s forces deployed 47 missiles and 619 drones, mainly targeting the city of Dnipro, but also hitting the regions of Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Odessa and Kiev. Ukrainian air defense reportedly intercepted 580 drones and 30 missiles.
The raid on the city of Dnipro
In Dnipro, an attack directly hit a four-story residential building, almost completely destroying an entire housing block. In this location there have been at least five deaths, while over 30 people have been rescued by rescuers. Firefighters and emergency teams continue to work among the rubble, while there are fears that the toll could worsen: some people are still missing and cannot be contacted. On Telegram Oleksandr Ganzha, head of the regional military administration writes: “Rescuers have extracted the bodies of two people from the rubble. Five people are still missing. Twenty-one people were injured”. Among the injured there are also a 9-year-old boy and two police officers.
The other affected regions
In addition to Dnipro, attacks and damage were also recorded in the regions of Chernihiv, Cherkasy and Odessa, where civilian buildings and homes were hit. In Nizhyn, Chernihiv region, two men aged 30 and 60 died as a result of the shelling. At least seven people were injured. In the Kharkiv region, four people were injured, including a child aged just one and a half years. In one of the affected buildings, an attack drone did not explode on impact. The police force evacuated around 100 residents, while the bomb squad intervened to neutralize the warhead, found in an apartment on the third floor. Massive drone attacks occurred overnight in the Odessa region, with two people injured in the southern part, according to governor Oleh Kiper. In addition to residential buildings, other civil infrastructures were also damaged in several regions of the country.