14 killed, 37 wounded in Russian missile strike on Ukraine

AFP

At least 14 people were killed and 37 wounded, including five children, in Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine's eastern city of Dobropillia overnight, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry said on Saturday.

Russian forces attacked Dobropillia with ballistic missiles, multiple rockets, and drones, causing damage to eight multi-storey buildings and 30 vehicles, according to the ministry. The assault resulted in the deaths of 14 people, including five children, and left 37 others wounded.

"While extinguishing the fire, the occupiers struck again, damaging the fire truck," the ministry said on the Telegram messenger app.

Photographs of partially destroyed buildings engulfed in flames and rescue workers clearing debris were also published by the ministry.

The ministry also reported that three civilians were killed in a separate drone attack on the Kharkiv region in the northeast.

"Such strikes show that Russia's objectives have not changed. Therefore, it is crucial to continue to do our best to protect lives, strengthen our air defences, and increase sanctions against Russia. Everything that helps Putin finance the war must collapse," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Facebook.

On Friday, Russian forces damaged Ukrainian energy and gas infrastructure in their first major missile attack since the US paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine, piling pressure on Kyiv as President Donald Trump seeks a swift end to the war.

The pause in US military aid and intelligence may undermine Ukraine's air defences as it runs low on advanced missiles and struggles to track attacks as effectively, military analysts say.

Dobropillia, home to about 28,000 people before the war, is in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, 22 kilometres (13.67 miles) from the front line north of the key hub of Pokrovsk, which the Russian troops have been attacking for weeks.

The ministry also said at least three were killed and seven injured in a separate drone attack on Kharkiv region overnight.

Ukrainian military said Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with two Iskander-M ballistic missiles and one Iskander-K cruise missile as well as 145 drones.

They said air forces shot down one cruise missile and 79 drones. The military said another 54 drones did not reach their targets, likely due to electronic countermeasures.

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