At least 18 killed, more than 130 injured in Russian strikes across Ukrainian cities; Zelensky vows revenge

At least 18 people have been killed and more than 130 others were injured after Russia launched a wave of attacks on Ukrainian cities, on Tuesday (Jan 23), said President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian president also vowed a strong response to these attacks as the war approaches its third year.

Deadly Russian attacks across Ukraine

During his nightly address, Zelensky said more than 200 sites were struck, including 139 residential buildings. The early morning strikes had targeted the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv and Kharkiv, with air raid sirens going off at 5:43 am (local time).

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The eastern border city of Kharkiv suffered three waves of attacks, while Kyiv and the southern region of Kherson were subjected to constant shelling. According to Zelensky, Russia launched nearly 40 missiles of different types in “another combined strike to try to circumvent our air defence system.”

Rescue workers in Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, were seen hauling survivors from smouldering piles of rubble as apartment blocks were set ablaze and toppled by the strikes, according to AFP journalists.

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Kharkiv regional Governor Oleh Synehubov said eight people had been killed in the overnight barrage which also left around 50 wounded. At least four more people were injured after a fresh round of strikes on Kharkiv, on Tuesday evening.

Interior Minister Igor Klymenko praised rescuers who he said pulled some 27 survivors out of the rubble. Kharkiv’s mayor, Ihor Terekhov, said rescuers discovered the body of a nine-year-old girl under rubble; her mother had also been killed.

Meanwhile, in Kyiv, emergency services said 22 people, including four children, had been wounded across at least three districts in the attacks which set buildings and cars ablaze in central districts.

“There was a very loud bang, and my mother was already running outside, shouting that we need to leave. We all went to the corridor,” said Daniel Boliukh, 21, as quoted by Reuters. “Then, we went on the balcony to have a look, and saw all these buildings were on fire.”

Residential buildings and medical and educational institutions were damaged in Kyiv, according to emergency services.

Ukraine’s commander-in-chief claimed that the country’s armed forces destroyed 22 of 44 missiles of various types. At least 20 were shot down over the Ukrainian capital, said Kyiv’s military administration.

In Kherson, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said Russian aircraft pounded the region throughout the day. According to officials, two people had been killed in the region.

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Further south, in the Ukrainian city of Pavlograd, the Dnipropetrovsk regional governor said one person had been killed and another wounded.

‘Typical terrorist state’

“Ordinary life is what Russia sees as a threat to itself. The state is a typical terrorist,” said a sombre Ukrainian president. He added, “Let them know in Russia that the Ukrainian character knows how to be far-reaching enough in response.”

Defence Minister Rustem Umerov told a recent international ministerial meeting on Kyiv’s defence needs that Russia was stepping up missile attacks. Moscow'sforces had used more than 600 missiles and over 1,000 drones over the past two months, he said.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin, responding to questions from reporters about the attacks, denied that Russian forces had targeted civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

“Our military does not hit civilian facilities or residential neighbourhoods, and does not hit civilians – unlike the Kyiv regime,” said spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.

(With inputs from agencies)

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