Russian ballistic missiles hit an apartment complex and a university building in President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown on Monday, killing six people and wounding 75 others.
One of the two missiles that hit the central city of Kryvyi Rih destroyed part of an apartment building between the fourth and ninth floors, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.
Video showed black smoke billowing from corner units and burned out or damaged cars on a tree-lined street.
Oleksandr Vilkul, the city’s mayor, said the dead included a 10-year-old girl and her 45-year-old mother.
More than 350 people were involved in the rescue operation, Mr Zelensky said in a Telegram post. The morning attack also destroyed part of a four-story university building.
The strike on Zelenskyy’s hometown, which has been hit in the past, happened a day after the Ukrainian president seemed to warn of more attacks inside Russia. “Gradually, the war is returning to the territory of Russia — to its symbolic centers and military bases, and this is an inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process,” Mr Zelensky said Sunday in his nightly video address.
It was not clear whether the missile strikes were in retaliation for his comments.
“Regions of Ukraine are being shelled by the occupiers, who continue to terrorise peaceful cities and people,” President Zelensky wrote on Twitter.
“Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded. There may be people under the rubble. My condolences to all those who have lost their loved ones because of Russian terror.”
A mother pulled her 10-year-old child out from the rubble of a building destroyed by the attack, according to the regional governor.
Serhiy Lysak wrote on Telegram: “She does not remember how she pulled out the child. Apparently, mother’s love gave her strength. Now they are in hospital.
“In total, almost 150 residents got out of the mutilated high-rise building on their own. Another 30 were helped to get outside by rescuers.”
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Russian forces have attacked more than 100 Ukrainian towns and cities in the last day, according to Ukraine’s defence ministry.
It said on Telegram: “Russian troops shelled the territory of nine regions of Ukraine during the past 24 hours.
“130 settlements and 91 infrastructure objects were attacked from various types of weapons - mortars, tanks, barrel artillery, MLRS [rockets], air defence systems, UAVs [drones], tactical aircraft.
“There are dead and wounded among civilians, the number of victims is being specified.”
