12 killed during spate of Russian attacks on Ukraine

Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least 12 people, including four children, as fighting intensifies during a series of offensives into several regions of the war-battered country, reports Al Jazeera.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned on Saturday the death toll in the village of Vilniansk – near the regional hub of Zaporizhzhia – may increase.

“Seven people, including two children, have been killed by a Russian missile strike in the Zaporizhzhia region,” Zelenskyy said on social media, calling for his Western allies to speed up weapons deliveries.

“Any delay in decisions in this war means the loss of human lives.”

Ukraine’s Interior Minister Igor Klimenko said 18 people – including four children – were also wounded in Vilniansk, 30km (18 miles) from the main city of Zaporizhzhia.

The attack occurred “in broad daylight on a weekend in a place where people were spending their leisure time downtown – without any military infrastructure”, Governor Ivan Fedorov said.

Ukrainian officials reported attacks on Saturday killed four people and injured 23 in eastern villages, while rescuers in the central city of Dnipro dug through rubble after an attack ripped through a nine-storey residential building, leaving one dead and 12 wounded.

The heavy attacks on Saturday come as Russia continues to stretch out Ukrainian forces in several areas along the 1,000km (600 mile) front. Moscow has stepped up air raids in a bid to drain Ukraine’s resources, often targeting energy facilities and other vital infrastructure.

Ukraine’s military said, “The total number of hostile attacks along the entire front line has now risen to 90.” Eastern Donetsk’s regional Governor Vadym Filashkin said Russian forces shelled populated areas 13 times over the past 24 hours.

Zelenskyy said the Dnipro attack was a reminder to Ukraine’s allies the country needs more air defence systems.