Survivors pulled from Ukrainian block of flats as death toll hits 21
Survivors are pulled from the rubble of Ukrainian apartment block destroyed in wave of Russian missile attacks as death toll climbs to 21 and rescuers continue to dig through huge pile of rubble
- Harrowing images show the total destruction of one civilian high-rise in Dnipro
- Firefighters extinguished the blaze and rescuers are now hunting for survivors
- Dozens more are feared dead and buried under the huge mountain of rubble
Survivors of a missile attack by Russian forces in Ukraine have been pictured being pulled out of the rubble of a nine-storey apartment block after Putin’s forces made a direct hit on the civilian building on Saturday night, killing 21.
A rescue mission is under way in Dnipro after Russian missiles struck the building in the central Ukrainian city late last night.
Harrowing images from the scene show survivors being pulled from the wreckage of what remains of the block, including those who are injured.
At least 35 people are still missing and 73 were injured, Mykola Lukashuk, head of the regional council, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
‘Burn in hell, Russian murderers,’ he wrote.
Regional governor Valentyn Reznichenko said seven children were among those transported to hospital with severe injuries.
Rescuers carry a woman from the rubble of a residential building destroyed after a missile strike in Dnipro
Emergency personnel evacuate a person at the site of the missile strike on Sunday morning
A rescue worker carries a cat pulled alive from the wreckage towards safety following the horrific strike
The entire block was obliterated into a mountain of brick and mortar, with twisted bits of charred metal strewn about nearby streets.
The death toll is likely to rise as there are dozens of people still feared trapped under the debris.
‘They (Russians) are just inhuman. At least one stairwell is gone. Under the rubble there are people who were at home for the holiday,’ said Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the president’s office.
Firefighters were deployed to hose down the flames in the aftermath of the attack as rescuers began to pick through the wreckage in the hope of finding survivors.
Moscow also launched a fresh wave of missile attacks on Kyiv this morning as a series of explosions rocked the Ukrainian capital for the first time since New Year’s Day.
Russia’s defence ministry said on Sunday its forces had launched a wave of missile strikes against Ukrainian military and infrastructure sites on Saturday.
The Russian defence ministry did not mention Dnipro as a specific target of any strikes.
In its statement Russia said: ‘All assigned objects were hit. The targets of the strike have been achieved.’
Separately, Putin said the special military operation was showing a positive trend and that he hoped Russian soldiers would deliver further gains after Soledar.
‘The dynamic is positive,’ Putin told Rossiya 1 state television.
Emergency workers used cranes and ladders to access the higher parts of the building
The apartment block was turned into a mountain of rubble by the strike, which has killed at least 21 people
Dozens of rescue workers remain on scene in an attempt to rescue all the survivors
An injured woman is taken down to safety from her destroyed apartment block in Dnipro
By Sunday morning, smoke was still coming off the wrecked building as firefighters continued to rescue those trapped inside
Rescue workers are operating under highly dangerous conditions with much of the building completely destroyed
At least 21 people are so far known to have been killed with a further 39 taken to hospital
A Dnipro citizen cries as she watches firefighters and other rescue workers trying to save survivors
Rescue workers carry a woman rescued from the apartment block away from the scene and towards a waiting ambulance on Sunday
No one was reported hurt there, but missile debris caused a major fire at one ‘critical infrastructure object’ and damaged houses on the outskirts of the city, officials said.
A pair of missiles rained down on the industrial district of Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv, the regional governor reported.
Moscow’s fresh aerial assault comes as both sides continue a bitter fight for the towns of Bakhmut and Soledar in Ukraine’s embattled eastern region of Donetsk.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak today told Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky that Britain will soon deliver a squadron of Challenger 2 battle tanks to help ‘push Russian troops back’ as a sign of the UK’s ‘ambition to intensify support for Ukraine.’
Rescue team work among the rubble of a damaged residential building hit by shelling in Dnipro, southeastern Ukraine, 14 January 2023
Emergency workers clear rubble with many people under debris in the southeastern city of Dnipro, Ukraine, January 14, 2023
Harrowing images from the scene show how an entire block was obliterated into a mountain of brick and mortar, Dnipro, Ukraine, January 14, 2023
Emergency workers clear the rubble after a Russian rocket hit a multistory building leaving many people under debris in Dnipro, Ukraine, Saturday, January 14, 2023
Rescuers work on a residential building destroyed after a missile strike, in Dnipro, Ukraine, January 14, 2023
Rescuers and local residents are seen at a site of an apartment building heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Dnipro
Emergency workers and local residents pick through rubble in a desperate attempt to dig out survivors
A view shows an apartment building heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine
Local residents clear the rubble after a Russian rocket hit a multistory building leaving many people under debris in Dnipro, Ukraine, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023
Emergency workers clear the rubble after a Russian rocket hit a multistory building leaving many people under debris in Dnipro, Ukraine, January 14, 2023
Rescuers and local residents evacuate a wounded man after a missile strike on a residential building in Dnipro, Ukraine, January 14, 2023
Emergency workers clear the rubble after a Russian rocket hit a multistory building leaving many people under debris in Dnipro, Ukraine, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023
Firefighters were deployed to hose down the flames and a rescue operation is underway to save any survivors
A view shows a crater left by a Russian missile, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in the village of Kopyliv, Kyiv region, Ukraine January 14, 2023
Men stand next to a crater left by a Russian missile, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in the village of Kopyliv, Kyiv region, Ukraine January 14, 2023
People dance to music as they take shelter inside a metro station during massive Russian missile attacks in Kyiv, Ukraine January 14, 2023
Kids take shelter inside a metro station during Russian missile attacks in Kyiv this morning
No one was injured in this morning’s attacks on Kyiv, according to officials. City residents are pictured piling into the metro tunnels amid airstrikes
Critical infrastructure in Kyiv was targeted in this morning’s attacks, the deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said on Telegram.
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An unidentified infrastructure object was hit in the city and emergency services were operating at the site of the strike, Kyiv’s city military administration said.
Explosions were heard in the Dniprovskyi district, a residential area on the left bank of the Dnieper River, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
He added that fragments of a missile fell on a non-residential area in the Holosiivskyi district on the right bank, and a fire broke out in a building there.
No casualties have been reported so far, as civilians piled into the metro tunnels below the city and waited for the raid to end.
Elderly civilians played music and danced as waited for the air raid sirens to abate.
Earlier on Saturday, two Russian missiles hit Kharkiv – regional governor Oleh Synehubov said Putin’s troops fired two S-300 missiles at the industrial district of Kharkiv.
The strikes targeted ‘energy and industrial objects of Kharkiv and the (outlying) region,’ Synehubov said.
No casualties have been reported, but emergency power cuts in the city and other settlements of the region were possible, the official said.
The attacks come amid conflicting reports on the fate of the fiercely contested salt mining town of Soledar, in Ukraine’s embattled eastern region of Donetsk.
Medics of Ukrainian Army evacuate a wounded soldier on a road not far of Soledar, Donetsk region on January 14, 2023
Blood-stained helmets of Ukrainian servicemen are pictured beside the road as a wounded soldier is evacuated
Ukrainian soldiers equip trenches on a field not far from Soledar, Donetsk region on January 14, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Ukrainian servicemen fire a 120mm mortar towards Russian positions at the frontline near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023
Ukrainian soldiers try to stave off the cold a few miles from the frontline near Soledar, January 13
Ukrainian army Grad multiple rocket launcher fires rockets at Russian positions in the frontline near Soledar, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023
Russia’s Defence Ministry said Friday that Soledar was captured on Thursday night, after a Ukrainian official earlier admitted their forces had faced ‘high intensity’ battles for the town.
But Ukrainian authorities and Zelensky insist the fight for Soledar continues.
‘Soledar is controlled by Ukrainian authorities, our military controls it,’ regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on national television.
But he said ‘battles continue in and outside of the city’ and added that Soledar and nearby Bakhmut were the ‘hottest’ spots on the frontline.
Moscow has painted the battle for the town and the nearby city of Bakhmut as key to capturing the eastern region of the Donbas, which comprises of partially occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and as a way to grind down the best Ukrainian forces and prevent them from launching counterattacks elsewhere.
But that cuts both ways, as Ukraine says its fierce defence of the eastern strongholds has helped tie up Russian forces who are reported to have suffered considerable casualties amid the battle for Bakhmut.
Ukrainian armed forces will see their efforts to drive Russian troops back bolstered in the coming weeks after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak today confirmed the UK will deliver a squadron of Challenger 2 battle tanks to Ukraine.
Downing Street said Sunak made the pledge during a call on Saturday morning with Zelensky.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak today confirmed the UK will deliver a squadron of Challenger 2 battle tanks (pictured) to Ukraine
Germany is said to be considering sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine
In a readout of the phone conversation, a No 10 spokeswoman said the Prime Minister offered Challenger 2 tanks and additional artillery systems as a sign of the UK’s ‘ambition to intensify our support to Ukraine’.
Zelensky thanked the UK on Twitter for making decisions that ‘will not only strengthen us on the battlefield, but also send the right signal to other partners’.
The move makes the UK the first Western power to supply the Ukrainians with main battle tanks.
UK Government insiders said the decision on tanks had to be made now in order to ensure Ukrainian soldiers could be trained in how to use the mobile weapons before a potential spring offensive.
Ministers hope the announcement will encourage other allies to follow suit, with Germany said to be considering sending a shipment of its Leopard 2 battle tanks.
No 10 has not yet confirmed the exact numbers of tanks it will send to Kyiv.
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