At least 23 people have been murdered and scores more have been injured as a result of a Russian missile attack on a relief convoy in southern Ukraine, according to local officials.
A large hole adjacent to a line of automobiles in the city of Zaporizhia is evidence of the brutality of the attack. The windows and windshields have been shattered.
A stunned survivor said that she heard at least three explosions.
In response to the incident that occurred early on Friday morning on the outskirts of the regional capital of the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky referred to Russia as a “state terrorist.”
He stated that Russia fired sixteen rockets at the city and threatened to punish those responsible for “every Ukrainian life lost.”
In the meantime, a local authority placed by Russia blamed Ukraine for the attack.
The convoy was struck as individuals prepared to proceed to the Russian-occupied portion of the region to retrieve family members and distribute humanitarian aid.
Kateryna Holoborod was sitting on her luggage and in a state of shock near the missile’s impact site.
“We came in a line to join a column headed for Chervony,” she explained.
“We exited to determine our position in the line. Then, a rocket struck behind the carts.
“We fell to the ground.” The second then arrived in the middle of the line. Glass was everywhere, and people were shouting and fleeing. I do not recall much.
“It was terrifying. I then stood up to observe what had transpired and assist the injured. I attempted to assist a wounded young man when the third explosion occurred.
The incident occurs as Russian President Vladimir Putin prepares for a signing ceremony in Moscow to annex the Ukrainian provinces of Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kherson.
The action follows self-proclaimed referendums in the eastern and southern regions, which Ukraine and the West have slammed as fraudulent.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, and it now controls the majority of the Zaporizhzhia region, including the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, but not the regional capital.
Vladimir Rogov, a regional official placed by Moscow, blamed “Ukrainian militants” for the attack in Zaporizhzhya, according to Russian state media.
In a separate incident, one person was killed and five others were injured in nocturnal Russian Iskander missile strikes on the city of Dnipro, located approximately 70 kilometers (43 miles) north of Zaporizhia, according to local officials.
According to reports, a transport firm was targeted, and 52 buses were burned while 98 others were damaged.
Additionally, several high-rise buildings, offices, and a store were damaged.
