Ukraine says 20 injured in Russian airstrike on Zaporizhzhia city

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukraine said that at least 20 people were injured in a Russian airstrike on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia.

“As of 10 pm (1900GMT), emergency rescue operations at the site of the shelling have been completed … 20 people were injured as a result of the incident,” said a statement by Ukraine’s State Emergency Service on Telegram late Sunday.

Governor Ivan Fedorov wrote on Telegram Monday morning that four of those injured still remain in hospitals, while one person is in serious condition.

According to a statement by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, the guided aerial bombs were used in the attack, hitting residential areas, a bus station, and a clinic.

“Such attacks once again prove that Russia is making no moves toward peace, neither on the ground nor in the air,” the statement on X went on to say.

In a later post on X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reaffirmed Kyiv’s call for further sanctions on Moscow, adding: “Strength is needed – of the United States, of Europe, of all nations in the world that want peace and stability in international relations.”

Separately, Ukraine’s Air Force claimed Monday morning that the country’s air defenses shot down 59 out of 71 Russian drones in the country overnight.

Russian authorities neither commented on the attack on Zaporizhzhia, nor on Ukraine’s claims.

Zaporizhzhia is about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the front line between Moscow and Kyiv and has been frequently hit by airstrikes during the Russia-Ukraine war, which has been ongoing for nearly three-and-a-half years.