 "In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out the fire after Russia attacked the city with guided bombs overnight in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. - AP")
Russia on Sunday launched multiple guided bombs on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, resulting in at least 16 injuries and causing significant damage to railways, infrastructure, as well as residential and commercial buildings, according to Ukrainian officials.
Ivan Fedorov, the governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, said that Russian forces hit three city districts with a total of 13 guided bombs between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. The strikes injured at least 16 people, including two children aged 8 and 17 years old, he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said that the Zaporizhzhia attack had damaged the city’s transport links. “Today, Russia struck Zaporizhzhia with aerial bombs. Ordinary residential buildings were damaged and the entrance of one building was destroyed. The city’s infrastructure and railway were also damaged,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
The Ukrainian military warned Saturday that Russian forces may be preparing for offensive operations in the wider Zaporizhzhia region. Vladyslav Voloshyn, spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern military command, said that Russia was amassing personnel in this direction.
Ukraine’s air force also reported that 22 Russian drones were launched over the country overnight. It said that 15 were shot down in Ukraine’s Sumy, Vinnytsia, Mykolaiv, and Odesa regions and that five more were destroyed using electronic defenses. The fate of the remaining two drones was not specified.
The southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, an important logistical and industrial hub located about 50 km (30 miles) from the frontline, has been the target of intensified Russian-guided bomb strikes in recent weeks. Moscow’s troops partially occupy the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, which is also home to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
With inputs from agencies.