At least 12 dead in Russian wave of attacks on Ukraine | News on the Russia-Ukraine war

The deadly attacks come as Russia continues to expand Ukrainian forces in areas along the Eastern Front.

At least twelve people, including four children, have been killed in Russian attacks in Ukraine. Fighting is intensifying as a result of an offensive in several regions of the war-torn country.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned on Saturday that the death toll in the village of Vilna, near the regional capital Zaporizhia, could rise.

“A Russian missile attack in the Zaporizhia region killed seven people, including two children,” Zelensky said on social media, calling on his Western allies to speed up arms deliveries.

“Any delay in making decisions in this war means loss of life.”

Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klimenko said 18 people, including four children, were injured in Vilnius, 30 kilometres from the capital Zaporizhia.

The attack took place “in broad daylight on a weekend in a place where people spent their free time in the city center – without any military infrastructure,” said Governor Ivan Fedorov.

Ukrainian authorities reported that four people were killed and 23 injured in attacks in villages in the east of the country on Saturday. In the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, rescue workers dug through the rubble after an attack destroyed a nine-story residential building, leaving one dead and 12 injured.

Saturday’s heavy attacks come as Russia continues to expand its Ukrainian troops in several areas along the 1,000km front. Moscow has stepped up its airstrikes to deplete Ukraine’s resources, often targeting energy facilities and other vital infrastructure.

The Ukrainian military said: “The total number of enemy attacks along the entire front line has now risen to 90.” The governor of the eastern Donetsk region, Vadym Filashkin, said Russian forces had shelled populated areas 13 times in the past 24 hours.

A Russian missile attack in the Zaporizhia region has killed seven people, including two children. Eleven injured are currently known, including three children. Unfortunately, the number of victims may still rise.

Our cities and communities are suffering… pic.twitter.com/dbKQT8KTZK

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy (@ZelenskyyUa) June 29, 2024

Zelensky said the attack on Dnipro was a reminder to Ukraine’s allies that the country needs more air defense systems.

“That is why we constantly remind all our partners: only a sufficient number of high-quality air defense systems, only a sufficient level of determination on the part of the world as a whole can stop Russian terror,” he said.

Fighting in Ukraine has intensified from several directions after Russia launched offensives from several directions, taking advantage of Ukraine’s military defenses.

Russian authorities also reported Ukrainian attacks. At least five people were killed in a drone attack in the Russian region of Kursk. Two children were among the victims in the village of Gorodishche on the Russian-Ukrainian border, Governor Alexey Smirnov said on social media.