Russian strikes kill at least 15 in Zaporizhzhia, officials say

Ukrainian emergency services said five Russian glide bombs hit Zaporizhzhia on 10 October, leaving at least 15 people dead, among them three children. At least 16 others were injured, while search and rescue work continued at damaged residential buildings.¹

Rescue operation continues

The attack largely destroyed an apartment block, according to the acting mayor, Regina Kharchenko. She said the impact struck the ground floor and caused the upper levels to collapse. The BBC reported that further people were believed to be beneath the rubble, although this had not been independently confirmed in the dossier.¹

More than 80 workers were involved in the rescue operation, according to the report. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 13 other Ukrainian regions had also come under attack overnight.¹

Earlier reports of nationwide strikes

On 7 October, Russia launched overnight attacks on energy infrastructure and cities including Pryluky, Dnipro, Kremenchik, Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv, according to reporting by the Guardian. That report said at least 11 people had been killed and more than 34 injured; it later put the overall reported death toll at 15 after fatalities in Pryluky rose from five to nine.²

Zelenskyy described the earlier assault as "one of the most vile strikes" and said ballistic missiles posed Ukraine's greatest challenge. He said air-defence packages were essential to protect people and infrastructure.²

Support, sanctions and Ukrainian response

The European Commission said Ukraine would receive €1.24bn to support drones and missiles. Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said Russia was pursuing a deliberate strategy of terror, according to the Guardian.²

Ukraine's foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, called for tougher sanctions against Russia's military-industrial complex, including ballistic-missile facilities and the Rassvet satellite system. He said Ukraine was working to make the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine operational next year, adding that "accountability is inevitable."²

Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces had struck four targets linked to Russia's ability to finance and conduct the war, including two oil facilities and a training ground. He also said Ukraine would respond to the Russian attacks.²