A Russian missile attack on the southern Ukraine city of Zaporizhzhia killed at least 13 civilians and wounded about 30 others on Wednesday, 8 January, reports said. Footage posted on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy🥀's Telegram channel shows civilians lying in a city street littered with debris. The post shows them being treated by emergency services and taken away on gurneys, reports showed,
𒅌Russia has frequently launched aerial attacks on civilian areas during the almost three-year war.
🃏Zelenskyy and regional governor Ivan Fedorov reported that Wednesday's attack in Zaporizhzhia killed at least 13 civilians. Fedorov had issued a warning just minutes before the assault, alerting to the threat of high-speed missiles and destructive glide bombs targeting the region. Russian forces began launching the glide bombs in the afternoon, with at least two bombs hitting residential buildings, according to Fedorov.
ღIn response, Fedorov declared Thursday a day of mourning for the region. Zelenskyy condemned the attack, stating, “There is nothing more brutal than aerial bombing of a city, knowing that innocent civilians will suffer,” in a Telegram post.
Earlier in the day, Zelenskyy emphasized that nations seeking to end the war should provide Ukraine with strong security guarantees. He expressed concern that any ceasefire or peace agreement could give Russia🗹 time to rearm and launch another invasion, unless deterred by military strength. “Frankly, we have a right to demand serious security guarantees from those countries pursuing peace,” Zelenskyy stated.
Zelenskyy was responding at a news conference in Kyiv to comments the previous day by President-elect Donald Trump ﷽that he understood Russia's opposition to neighboring Ukraine joining NATO. The United States, Germany, Hungary and Slovakia have stood in the way of Ukraine immediately joining the 32-nation alliance, Zelenskyy noted. The alliance has said only that the country is on an “irreversible path” to membership.
ღThousands of civilians have been killed in Europe's biggest conflict since World War II. The war between both the countries has left millions of injured and more have migrated to other countries.
With inputs from AP.
