Nikopol, Ukraine – Russia fired a barrage of more than 20 cruise missiles and two explosive drones. Ukraine By early Friday, at least 12 people had been killed, according to Ukrainian officials. The deadliest strike was at least one missile that tore through an apartment building in the central city of Uman, causing death and destruction hundreds of miles from any active front lines.
At least 10 people were killed in the strike, which tore off one end of the residential building while families slept.
Yevni Zavorodny/Global Image Ukraine/Getty
“We are covered in blood,” cried a young mother in a video posted on social media. “The kids were sleeping here… it’s good that everyone is alive.”
As he pointed his camera at a burning crater outside their building, he swore the Russians were responsible for the attack.
It was a horrifying glimpse into the reality of life in Ukraine: indiscriminate Russian missiles raining down on towns and cities nowhere completely safe, killing civilians in their sleep.
At least two children are reported to have been killed in a wave of pre-dawn strikes across the country.
Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian government, shared photos of a strike in the city of Dnipro that he said killed a 3-year-old girl and a woman.
Russia’s rocket attack on Ukraine last night.
A 3-year-old girl and a woman, 31, were killed in the attack in Dnipro. Three people were injured – the head of the regional administration.
Russia continues to terrorize civilians. pic.twitter.com/7G377ca0Y4
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_N) April 28, 2023
“Russia continues to terrorize civilians,” he said.
The capital, Kiev, also came under attack for the first time in nearly two months. Officials said there were no casualties, but the country’s air defenses shot down 11 missiles and two drones.
Each civilian victim constitutes one Possible war crimesthe head of the UN human rights mission in Ukraine told CBS News.
“If you look at the level of injury, killing, destruction, it’s very clear that international humanitarian law, the rules of war, have been broken,” said Matilda Bogner.
Shelling is a regular occurrence in front-line towns like Nikopol, across a river from Russian-occupied territory. Cities and towns like Nikopol or Uman have no military purpose, but that doesn’t stop Russian forces from taking potshots at residential areas, spreading terror.
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