Russian forces launched a devastating missile and drone attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Wednesday, resulting in five civilian deaths and injuring 47 others, including a 14-year-old girl. The daylight assault on Ukraine’s fourth-largest city caused significant damage to civilian infrastructure and medical facilities.
Mayor Borys Filatov reported that the attack shattered windows in a shopping mall, two schools, and three kindergartens. The intensive care unit of a children’s hospital was hit by debris, while another hospital caught fire. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared a video on social media showing a missile with a fiery trail streaking over Dnipro’s buildings, followed by the impact and flying debris.
The ongoing conflict, now in its third year since Russia’s invasion, has taken a heavy toll on civilians. According to United Nations estimates, the war has killed over 10,000 civilians and wounded approximately 20,000 others.
The violence extended to other regions as well. In Kharkiv, northeast Ukraine, Russian shelling struck a village council building, killing one person and injuring two. In the village of Ruska Lozova, a Russian glide bomb hit a residential building, injuring at least two people, with the possibility of others trapped under the rubble.
Amidst the ongoing attacks, Ukraine received a financial boost with $2.2 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as part of an ongoing credit facility. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced that these funds would be used for welfare payments and salaries of essential workers like doctors and teachers.
As the conflict continues to escalate, the international community watches closely, with concerns growing over the mounting civilian casualties and the war’s broader impact on global stability and economics.
Reuters.com