At least 3 killed, 6 injured in missile attack in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia

March 2, 2023

- Russian military strike hit 5-story building, more than 10 apartments destroyed, say Ukrainian authorities

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) – At least three people were killed and six injured in a missile attack in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region early on Thursday.

A rocket fired by the Russian military hit a five-story building, the Ukrainian National Police said in a statement.

“Residents … who were sleeping peacefully at that time were buried under the rubble. So far, three dead bodies have been found and six wounded have been hospitalized,” read the statement.

More than 10 apartments from the second to the fifth floor were destroyed, while nearby houses were damaged by the blast and debris, it added.

Police and Ukrainian intelligence officers are carrying out inspections to “document the consequences of the occupiers’ war crime … and collect material evidence of Russian military aggression,” the statement further said.

Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office, said at least 20 people were evacuated from the area.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said search and rescue operations are underway.

“The terrorist state wants to turn every day for our people into a day of terror. But evil will not reign in our land. We will drive all the occupiers out and they will definitely be held accountable for everything,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram.

Now in its second year, the Russia-Ukraine war has so far killed more than 8,100 civilians, with nearly 13,500 more wounded, according to latest UN figures.