KYIV: A Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia killed six people and injured 23 others on Tuesday, regional authorities said. The attack targeted an infrastructure facility in the industrial city, located around 35 kilometres from Russian-controlled territory.
Ivan Fedorov, head of the Zaporizhzhia region, confirmed the casualty figures on social media, while Ukrainian prosecutors said that a ballistic missile caused severe damage to the facility.
The strike, which impacted a region with a pre-war population of over 700,000, has heightened fears of an impending Russian offensive as winter approaches.
Meanwhile, Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, urged Western allies to take a “stronger stance,” calling for increased support to halt the ongoing violence. “This violence must be stopped by strong action,” Yermak wrote on social media.
Zaporizhzhia has witnessed a sharp increase in Russian aerial assaults in recent weeks. Analysts said that the Kremlin may be preparing to target the city as part of a larger winter campaign.
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The region, partly occupied by Russian forces, was claimed by Moscow during the 2022 annexation, despite ongoing Ukrainian resistance in several regions.
Meanwhile, in eastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, Russian shelling killed two persons. Local authorities reported that a 48-year-old man and woman were killed in the village of Glushkivka.
Russian forces have been advancing in the Kharkiv region, and officials have urged civilians to evacuate Kupiansk, a city under growing pressure from nearby Russian troops.
