A Russian airstrike on the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia has killed at least 13 civilians and injured around 30 others, according to Ukrainian officials. The attack, carried out using guided bombs, struck residential areas and public transport during the afternoon, causing widespread destruction.
Graphic footage shared by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy showed injured civilians receiving emergency treatment in the streets. He condemned the attack, emphasizing its brutality, saying, “There is nothing more brutal than aerial bombing of a city, knowing that ordinary civilians will suffer.”
The Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office reported that the bombing damaged high-rise residential buildings, an industrial facility, and a tram with passengers on board. Regional Governor Ivan Fedorov confirmed that two residential structures were directly hit in the assault.
While Moscow denies targeting civilians, attacks on non-military infrastructure have been a recurring feature of Russia’s campaign during its nearly three-year-long war against Ukraine.
Earlier the same day, Ukraine reported striking a fuel storage depot deep inside Russia near Engels in the Saratov region, around 600 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. The depot reportedly supplied missiles to a Russian airbase and was engulfed in flames following the strike.
Ukraine has been developing its own long-range missile capabilities as Western-supplied munitions face usage restrictions. Both sides continue escalating operations as the January 20 inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump approaches.