Russian airstrikes on Zaporizhzhia kill 13, injure 113 civilians

At least 13 civilians were killed, and another 113 injured in a Russian aerial attack on the southern Ukrainian city of  Zaporizhzhia on January 8, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service. 

Russian forces carried out two strikes using FAB-500 guided bombs. Fifty-nine people were subsequently hospitalized, 10 of whom remain in critical condition. A 13-year-old child is among them.  

The attack caused significant destruction to the city’s infrastructure. According to the Office of the Prosecutor General, residential buildings, an industrial facility, and transport infrastructure were heavily damaged.  

Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s Commissioner for Human Rights, condemned the assault on civilians as a war crime and urged the international community to strengthen sanctions against Russia.  

“Russia has once again demonstrated its true nature as a terrorist state by carrying out another barbaric attack on the civilian population of Zaporizhzhia. Targeting civilians is a war crime, and those responsible must be held accountable in international courts,” he said.  

The international community has also reacted to the strike.  

“Russia is not thinking about peace. Russia is focused only on causing death and destruction until it is forced to change course,” said Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.

U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink reaffirmed that the United States, along with international partners, will continue providing security assistance to Ukraine to defend against Russian aggression.

Russia bombards Ukrainian cities and villages daily. The Ukrainian World Congress publishes news on the largest shelling incidents. More detailed information on the consequences of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine can be found here: Victory Chronicles.