06/04/2023 11:29 (act. 06/04/2023 11:30)
The Ukrainian city of Dnipro has been bombed for days ©APA/AFP
After a Russian attack on a suburb of the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, rescue workers found the body of a two-year-old girl under the rubble of a house. Authorities also reported 22 wounded as of Sunday morning, including five children. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in Kiev on Saturday night: “Russia has again shown that it is a terrorist state.”
The head of state released a video showing a two-story building completely destroyed. Rescue teams were still looking for survivors. According to authorities on Sunday, ten private homes, a car, a shop and gas pipelines were also damaged in the area.
Russian rocket and drone attacks in Ukraine repeatedly hit civilian infrastructure. According to Zelenskyy, a bullet landed between two two-story apartment buildings. Previously, there was an air alert in the region. It was unclear exactly what had hit there. Dnipro is located in southeastern Ukraine.
“Russians will take responsibility for everything they have done to our state and people,” Zelenskyy said. In his evening video message, he thanked the first responders, fighters and everyone who made their contribution in the fight against the Russian invasion which has now lasted more than 15 months. Zelenskyy asked people to personally thank the soldiers and everyone who fought for Ukraine’s existence.
In an interview, Zelenskyy said he saw the country ready for the long-awaited counter-offensive to free its territories from Russian occupation. “I think we’re ready for that today,” he told the Wall Street Journal. The American newspaper also published the video interview on its website on Saturday. Zelenskyi stressed that Ukraine would like to have some more weapons for the offensive against the Russian invasion, but could not wait for more months for their delivery.
“We believe so much in success, I don’t know how long it took us,” he said. At the same time, he stressed that this could take time and that the price of success will be high. There has been speculation for months about the start of the offensive, but it was sometimes said in Kiev that the operation was already underway.
At the same time, Zelenskyy again asked for significantly more US Patriot air defense systems, in the interview he named the number 50. Patriot missiles provide the best protection against Russian terror. “Today, the Patriot is the only weapon capable of stopping some of the types of missiles that the Russian Federation is using against our civilian population, schools, infrastructure and energy systems,” he told the WSJ. “50 Patriot batteries – and most people don’t die.” According to the American television station CNN, Ukraine is currently using two Patriot systems.
In its war of aggression, Russia has fired more missiles and drones at Ukraine and especially Kiev in recent days than at any other time since the start of the invasion. Ukrainian air defense has repeatedly reported that all or almost all of these flying objects were shot down thanks to Western defense systems. However, there were dead and wounded. Missile and drone debris also leaves heavy damage to buildings, cars and roads.
Zelenskyy also published a video of a conversation with journalists in Latin America on Saturday, in which he again emphasized that negotiations to end the war are not possible with the current Russian leadership. The only chance for Russia is to withdraw its troops from Ukraine, he said. The 45-year-old reiterated that he would otherwise fight until Ukraine won the war and Russia was defeated. If Russia were defeated, there would be a revolution there, he said.
According to official information, an airfield was hit during new Russian attacks in central Ukraine. A total of six cruise missiles were fired at his country on Sunday night, Ukrainian air force spokesman Juryj Ignat said. “Of the six cruise missiles, four were destroyed by anti-aircraft defenses and, unfortunately, two hit an airfield near Kropyvnytskyi.” Initially, nothing was known about the extent of the damage.
Russia also fired five combat drones at the neighboring country, three of which were intercepted. Ukraine, which has been defending itself against Russia’s war of aggression for more than 15 months, is being bombed daily from far away from the front lines. The capital Kiev is also frequently and severely affected.
Meanwhile, the Russian occupiers also reported drone strikes on the annexed Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which were all repelled. “Crimea should feel like it belongs in Ukraine,” Ukrainian Army Group South spokeswoman Natalya Humenyuk commented a little later.