Russian bombing in Ukraine leaves more than 20 dead

Russia fired more than 20 cruise missiles and two drones into Ukraine early Friday, killing at least 22 people, nearly all of them when two missiles slammed into an apartment building in a terrifying nighttime attack, authorities said. . Among the dead were three children.

MOSCOW SAID IT ATTACKED ONLY “MILITARY TARGETS” AND THAT THE OPERATION “WAS A SUCCESS”

The missile attacks included the first against kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, in almost two months, although no goal achieved was reported. The city government said Ukraine’s air force intercepted 11 cruise missiles and two unmanned aerial vehicles over kyiv.

The attacks against the nine-story residential building in central Ukraine occurred in Uman, a city located about 215 kilometers south of kyiv. Twenty people were killed in that attack, according to the Interior Ministry. Among them were two 10-year-old boys and a baby.

Another of the victims was a 75-year-old woman who lived in a neighboring building and who suffered internal bleeding from the shock wave of the huge explosion, according to emergency personnel who were at the scene.

According to the Ukrainian national police, 17 people were injured and three children were rescued from the rubble. Nine were hospitalized.

The shelling did not come near extensive front lines or active combat zones in eastern Ukraine, where a war of attrition has been raging. Moscow has launched frequent long-range missile attacks during the 14-month war, often hitting civilian areas indiscriminately.

Ukrainian officials and analysts have alleged that these attacks are part of a deliberate intimidation strategy by the Kremlin.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the long-range cruise missiles launched overnight were aimed at places where Ukrainian reserve military units were staying before their deployment to the battlefield.

“The attack has achieved its objective. All designated facilities have been hit,” said Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry. He did not mention specific areas or residential buildings hit.

Survivors of the Uman attacks recounted terrifying moments when the missiles hit while it was still dark outside.

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Halyna, a resident of a building, said that she and her husband were covered in glass by the explosion. They saw flames outside her window and ran, but first Halyna checked to see if her friend from a neighboring apartment was okay.

“I called her on the phone, but she did not answer. I even rang her doorbell, but she still didn’t answer,” she told The Associated Press. She used the spare keys to her friend’s apartment and went in to check on her. He found her dead on the floor.

Halyna declined to give her last name for security reasons.

Another resident of the building, Olha Turina, told the AP that glass from the explosion flew everywhere.

Turina, whose husband is fighting at the front, said one of her son’s classmates had disappeared.

“I don’t know where they are, I don’t know if they are alive,” he said. “I don’t know why we have to go through all this. We never bother anyone.”

Three body bags lay next to the building as smoke continued to billow hours after the attack. Soldiers, civilians and emergency teams searched for more victims among the rubble, while residents removed their belongings from the damaged building.

A woman, who was crying inconsolably, was taken by the rescue teams in search of help.

Yulia Norovkova, a spokeswoman for the rescue teams at the scene, said local volunteers were helping nearly 150 emergency personnel. Two aid stations, which included psychologists, were operating, she added.

A 31-year-old woman and her 2-year-old daughter were also killed in another attack in the eastern city of Dnipro, regional governor Serhii Lysak said. Four people were injured and a private home and a business were damaged.

The attacks came days after Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky said he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping had a “long and significant” phone call in which Zelensky said his government would send a peace envoy to Ukraine. and to other nations.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Friday’s bombings show that the Kremlin is not interested in a peace deal.