Kyiv: A Russian missile attack on the northern Ukrainian city of Chernigiv on Wednesday killed 13 people and injured at least 60 others as officials in Kyiv continued their plea for international support. The strike was in a very populated area in Chernigiv region.
“Many multi-storeyed buildings were damaged. Civilian infrastructure is damaged. Dozens of vehicles have been destroyed,” regional governor Vyacheslav Chaus said on state-run television.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s top officials have again sounded alarm over shortages in its air defence capabilities, Reuters reported.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has been urging allies to send more missiles to thwart Russian air attacks, has criticised Western resolve. “This would not have happened if Ukraine had received sufficient air-defence equipment and if the world’s determination to resist Russian terror had been sufficient,” he said.
“The terror must be stopped. Air and missile defence is what Ukraine needs right now,” head of Ukrainian President’s office, Andriy Yermak wrote in a social media post.
The Chernigiv region, which borders Belarus to the north, lies 145 kilometres (90 miles) north of the country’s capital, Kyiv. It was partially occupied at the beginning of Russia’s invasion two years ago. Many buildings in the city were damaged when Russian tanks came in from Belarusian territory in February 2022 and besieged the city until April of that year. In August last year, seven people were killed when a Russian missile attacked a theatre there hosting an exhibition on drones.