Children among eight dead in Russian strike on Ukraine's central region

FE Team | Published: April 29, 2024 19:01:08

Dnipro's train station was damaged in the Russian attack — BBC

KYIV, Apr 19 (BBC): Two Russian strikes in Ukraine's central Dnipropetrovsk region have killed eight people, including two children, officials say. The station in the main city Dnipro came under attack, and several homes were hit further east in Synelnykove.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack highlighted the need for every city to have adequate air defences. In a separate strike, Ukraine said that for the first time it had downed a long-range bomber in Russian territory.
According to Ukraine's interior minister, a boy aged eight and a girl of 14 were among six people killed when private homes were targeted by Russian strikes on the town of Synelnykove.
A third child, who had earlier been reported killed, was in a critical condition and several other people were wounded.
Another two people were killed and 19 wounded in the regional capital, Dnipro, when the train station and a five-storey building were hit. Rail operator Ukrzaliznytsia said a woman who was on duty at the time was killed and seven other railway workers were hurt.
Rescue services were continuing to search the rubble and warned that the number of victims would rise, the ministry added. A maternity hospital was also hit.
Ukraine has for months warned that it is running low on weapons capable of bringing down Russian missiles and drones, and Nato's secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, has spoken of an "urgent, critical need" for fresh military aid.
Earlier this week, the northern city of Chernihiv was struck in Russia's deadliest attack for some time, leaving 18 dead and dozens wounded. Three Iskander cruise missiles hit residential buildings close to the centre of the city, the regional leader said.
For months, a US military aid package worth $60.8bn (£49bn) has been blocked by Republican representatives in Congress. However, the Republican leader of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, has said he is determined to bring the matter to a vote, which could take place as early as Saturday.