The death toll in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro from a Russian missile attack on Saturday has risen to 20.
Rescue workers continue to find bodies of people buried among the debris of the apartment building that was hit by a Russian missile on Saturday, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the Deputy Director of Presidential Services, reported. The Ukrainian emergency service also reported via the Telegram app that the number of victims had risen from four to twenty.
There is also talk of 73 wounded being recovered from the rubble, including 14 children. Meanwhile, the search for missing persons continues. More than 40 people had to go to the hospital and four are in intensive care. Hours after the rocket impact, cries of distress were still heard from people trapped under the rubble of the building.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to the Russian missile attack on Twitter Saturday. "The world must stop the evil. The clearing of debris in Dnipro continues," he wrote.
"We will find everyone involved in terror. Everyone will be held accountable." The attack on Dnipro Saturday had the most casualties. Kiev and Kharkiv, among others, were also shelled with missiles. It was the first major Russian airstrike of 2023.
Presidents react
On Saturday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Russian "terror" could only be stopped with weapons, after an apartment building in eastern Ukraine and energy infrastructure in many regions were hit in a new wave of attacks.
"Russia has carried out another massive missile strike on Ukrainian cities (...) Is it possible to stop Russian terror? Yes, it is possible. Can it be done in any other way than on the battlefield in Ukraine? Unfortunately, no," President Zelenskyy said in his daily message.
Speaking to the Russian press on Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that, according to him, the military campaign in Ukraine was following a "positive dynamic" after the announcement of the capture of the eastern city of Soledar, which is still denied by Kyiv.
"Everything is going according to the plans of the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff. I hope that our fighters will delight us more than once with their military achievements," he said in an interview with Russian state television broadcast on Sunday.
The alleged capture of Soledar is thought to be largely symbolic after months of Russian assaults on the strategically significant Bahkmut, which is further south along the frontline. All attacks on the city have, so far, ended in failure at a high human cost.
