On Saturday 14th, a Russian rocket attack was conducted on the south-eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro, hitting a civilian building. The rescue operations started instantly and have been going on unceasingly for over 40 hours. Currently there are 35 registered victims and 39 civilians rescued from the building. At least 35 other civilians are estimated to be trapped under the materials; among those, some managed to send messages updating on their condition and that of other survivors.
The operation was conducted by means of a few devices able to elude the Ukrainian anti-aircraft control systems. Indeed, the missiles followed a high trajectory from the North of the country and only anti-aircraft missile systems are capable of intercepting them. According to the Ukrainian Air Force the attack could have been gutted if only they had been equipped with adequate control systems. In response, the NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg announces the shipment of heavier weapons by the Western Bloc.
The Ukrainian President immediately denounced the attack and the subsequent Russian silence on the high number of civilians killed. According to the President, the attack on Dnipro is yet another war crime carried out by the Russian army.
On the other side, the spokesman for the Russian army declares that each objective of the raids has been achieved, judging the positive outcome of the military operation conducted.
Although the rescue operations for Saturday's attack are still ongoing, the Russian attacks do not stop. Just a day after the attacks on Dnipro, Russian shelling hits Kherson. Among the buildings affected by the attack there are also the premises where representatives of the Red Cross work and also a children's center.
The southern Ukrainian city of Kherson had been abandoned by the Russians last November and most of the remaining civilians had been evacuated. Several sources had hypothesized a Russian attack on the city after most of the mass evacuations had been conducted by the Russians themselves, but until now the danger wrongly seemed averted. [The Observatory has previously dealt with the evacuations of Kherson: "Ukraine: the ongoing evacuation of civil"].
To read more, please visit:
- https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/mondo/europa/2023/01/15/ucraina-strage-nel-palazzo-a-dnipro.-zelensky-silenzio-codardo-del-popolo-russo_b81bb609-3a62-4c17-827c-06cc7185699e.html
- https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/topnews/2023/01/16/ucraina-sale-a-35-bilancio-vittime-attacco-russo-a-dnipro_fa248432-d16c-485c-ae3b-df904b6c141b.html
- https://video.repubblica.it/dossier/crisi_in_ucraina_la_russia_il_donbass_i_video/dnipro-ragazza-di-23-anni-estratta-viva-dalle-macerie-del-palazzo-distrutto-da-un-razzo-russo/436002/436968
- https://stream24.ilsole24ore.com/video/mondo/ucraina-attacco-russo-dnipro-bilancio-salito-35-morti/AETWVFXC
- https://www.quotidiano.net/cronaca/strage-di-dnipro-sms-inviati-dalle-macerie-a-kherson-raid-sui-locali-della-croce-rossa-1.8458347
- https://stream24.ilsole24ore.com/video/mondo/zelensky-accusa-silenzio-codardo-popolo-russo/AE4PtFXC
By Federica Tognolli
