Russia accuses Ukraine of killing at least 12 civilians in occupied Zaporozhye; Moscow begins night strikes | Today’s news
At least 12 people, including five children, were killed Saturday (local time) in an overnight drone attack on a holiday camp in Ukraine’s Zaporozhye region, a region controlled by Russia, Moscow-based local authorities said, accusing Kiev of deliberately targeting civilians.
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Here’s what we know about the attack
Reuters reported that 19 people were injured in the attack on the resort town of Kyrylivka, located on the coast of the Sea of Azov near the city of Melitopol, Russian-appointed governor Yevgeny Balitsky said. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the attack on “sleeping people” in the camp was carried out by Ukrainian drones. She condemned the “inhumane crimes” committed by Kiev, while also pointing to Thursday’s attack on a factory in Russia’s Kirov region, in which six people were killed.
Video shared online from the holiday camp showed damaged buildings, burnt-out cars and a pile of rubble next to a swimming pool. Balitsky said a crew from Russia’s Emergencies Ministry had pulled two survivors, including a child, as well as another body from the wreckage, adding that the rescue operation had been completed.
Balitsky said in Telegram: “The enemy saw and understood who he was targeting,” adding that the authorities in Kyiv “ignore any norms of morality and deliberately destroy the civilian population – adults and children.” Reuters, citing Russia’s state news agency RIA, said the country’s investigative committee had opened a terrorism case after the attack.
At least 15 people were killed in the latest Russian-Ukrainian attack
Ukrainian authorities in the northeastern Sumy region also said a Russian drone strike killed three people, bringing the death toll to 15, including 12 killed in the Russian-occupied region of Zaporozhye. The attacks came after Russia launched a massive attack near Kiev on Friday that killed at least 10 people and injured around 100 others, as part of its relentless cycle of attacking tit-for-tats.
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Russia conducts night attacks
Separately, the Ukrainian capital Kyiv came under attack by Russian forces overnight, according to mayor Vitaly Klitschko, with debris falling and fires starting in at least three districts.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russian troops targeted the capital with ballistic missiles. However, the air alert was canceled about 50 minutes later and the Air Force withdrew its warning about the missile deployment.
The attacks came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi warned on Friday that new Russian attacks were likely in the next 48 hours.
In addition, the Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire at the Tyumen oil refinery in Western Siberia, Tyumen Region Governor Aleksandr Moor said on Saturday.
Kazakhstan calls for an end to the war in Ukraine
The president of Kazakhstan told Russian President Vladimir Putin that the Ukraine war should end during a forum in Omsk, Siberia, AFP reported. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, sitting next to Putin at the summit, said: “It’s a shame, young people are dying… All this must be stopped,” adding that the conflict should be “frozen,” suggesting a return to the Istanbul talks before moving “to the long-awaited peace.”
Calls for an end to the war are intensifying after the United Nations (UN) warned that civilians have been dying in large numbers during the roughly 4.5-year-old conflict.
The attack comes as both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians in a war launched by Moscow’s February 2022 invasion.
