Russian strike in Dnipro kills 2, injures 21, more feared trapped. Zelensky urges stronger air defence and new EU sanctions on Russia
KYIV: A Russian strike hit a residential building in Ukraine’s eastern Dnipro city, killing two people, injuring 21, with five more people believed missing, authorities said Saturday.
“Rescue workers have recovered the bodies of two people from the rubble of a building in Dnipro that was destroyed by a Russian strike,” Oleksandr Ganzha, head of Drinpropetrovsk regional military administration said.
“It is believed that five people may still be trapped under the rubble,” he said, adding that 21 people were confirmed injured.
His message on Telegram was accompanied by a video showing rescue workers extracting a body in a black bag from rubble of a small building with an excavator clearing debris.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said four people died and some 30 were wounded in overnight Russian strikes across Ukraine.
“Every such strike should serve as a reminder to our partners that the situation requires immediate and firm action, and the rapid strengthening of our air defence,” he said.
“We must also move towards the 21st package of European sanctions against Russia. The pause caused by the blocking of the 20th package has given the aggressor extra time to adapt – it is important to counter this,” he added.
A meeting of European Union leaders on Thursday approved a 20th package of sanctions against Russia, targeting the banking sector and adding new restrictions on exports of Russian oil.
After months of obstruction by Hungary, they also approved a 90-billion-euro ($105 billion) loan to Ukraine, intended to strengthen its defences and cover state expenditures for the 2026-2027 period.
Almost every day since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, civilians have been killed in Ukraine in Russian bombardments.
Ukrainian drone attacks over the past 24 hours injured one person in Russia’s Kursk region, which borders Ukraine, governor Alexander Khinshtein announced Saturday on Max.
Diplomatic efforts to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II are at a standstill with US mediation efforts diverted by the outbreak of the Middle East war in February.
