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Rescue hopes fade following Russian attack in Ukraine’s Dnipro

The Ukrainian government expressed little hope Sunday of recovering any more survivors from the rubble of the apartment building in Dnipro, which was hit by a major Russian missile attack the day before. Dozens of people are expected to have died in the attack.

As of now, 30 deaths have been confirmed, and more than 30 people are in the hospital, including 12 in serious condition. There are still 30 to 40 people who may be trapped beneath the debris.

The head of the Dnepropetrovsk region administration reported 29 dead as a result of a missile attack on the residential building in #Dnipro. pic.twitter.com/V46BnnLKTH

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) January 15, 2023

In the east-central city, emergency workers reported hearing screams for help from underneath piled-high piles of debris from a nine-storey apartment block. The freezing temperatures added to rescuers’ concerns.

A firefighter group discovered a lightly dressed woman still alive more than 18 hours after the attack and carried her to safety. Firefighters also retrieved a body from the ruins and lifted it on a stretcher using a crane.

Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov said there is little chance of saving more people at this point, and that the number of deaths will be in the dozens.

As the result of the shelling of #Kherson the premises where representatives of the Red Cross work

"There was a serious fire because of the shelling. Rescuers are working. There is no information about the victims," said Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the Presidential Office. pic.twitter.com/4TEJgDocGg

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) January 15, 2023

Ukraine’s Air Force says the apartment block was hit by a Russian Kh-22 missile, which is known to be inaccurate; however, Ukraine lacks the air defences to intercept it. As a result two stairwells including dozens of flats were destroyed. The Soviet-era missiles were developed to destroy warships during the Cold War.

Throughout the night, rescuers searched for survivors. They were seen punching and kicking through heaps of smashed concrete and twisted metal on Sunday morning.

A spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern command said Russia had fired only half of the cruise missiles it had deployed to the Black Sea during Saturday’s attacks, indicating that they might still have certain plans.

As fighting raged in the eastern towns of Soledar and Bakhmut on Saturday, Russia fired two waves of missiles at Ukraine.

Since October, Russia has been bombarding Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with missiles and drones, causing blackouts and disruptions to heating and water systems.

Appeal for more equipments

In his nightly address after the strike, Zelenskiy called on Western allies to supply more weapons to end the “Russian terror” and attacks on civilian targets.

Eternal memory to all whose lives were taken by ?? terror! The world must stop evil. Debris clearance in Dnipro continues. All services are working. We're fighting for every person, every life. We'll find everyone involved in terror. Everyone will bear responsibility. Utmost. pic.twitter.com/zG4rIF8nzC

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 14, 2023

The attack on Saturday comes just days before a meeting of Ukraine’s allies in Ramstein, Germany, next Friday, where governments will announce their latest military pledges.

Following France and Poland, Britain announced on Saturday it would send 14 Challenger 2 main battle tanks as well as advanced artillery support.

Moscow may view the first shipment of Western-made tanks to Ukraine as an escalation of the conflict. According to the Russian Embassy in London, the tanks would prolong the conflict.

Russia’s invasion has already killed thousands, displaced millions and turned many cities into rubble.

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