Russian Strike Kills 13 in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia as Tensions Escalate

A Russian airstrike on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia killed at least 13 people and injured over 30, Ukrainian officials reported, marking one of the deadliest attacks in weeks in the nearly three-year-long conflict.

The strikes, carried out with guided aerial bombs, targeted crowded areas of the city, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to condemn the attack as “cruel” and an example of Russia’s deliberate targeting of civilians.

“There is nothing more cruel than launching aerial bombs on a city, knowing that ordinary civilians will suffer,” Zelensky said.

Attack Details

Ukraine’s interior ministry confirmed the strikes, which occurred Wednesday, caused significant casualties among civilians. Video footage shared by Zelensky depicted first responders aiding the wounded amid debris-strewn streets.

Zaporizhzhia, home to about 700,000 people before the war, lies approximately 35 kilometers from the frontline. The city has endured repeated shelling since Russia’s annexation claims over the surrounding region in 2022.

Hours before the Zaporizhzhia strike, Ukrainian drones targeted an oil depot in Russia’s Saratov region, setting off a massive fire and killing two firefighters. Ukraine claimed the depot supplied Russia’s air force, with the attack intended to disrupt Moscow’s logistical operations.

Rising Civilian Toll

In addition to the Zaporizhzhia strike, two people were killed in Stepnogirsk, a village near the city, following Russian shelling. In Kherson, another southern region, Russian artillery and drone attacks claimed two more lives.

The ongoing strikes highlight the intensifying hostilities as winter deepens, with Moscow increasing its attacks in what it calls retaliation for Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory using Western-supplied weapons.

Strategic Implications

Ukraine’s general staff emphasized that the destruction of the Saratov oil depot would significantly hinder Russian air force operations. “It creates serious logistical problems for the strategic aviation of the Russian occupants and reduces their ability to strike at peaceful Ukrainian cities and civilian objects,” it said.

Russia, meanwhile, continues to demand Ukraine’s withdrawal from Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, and Lugansk as a precondition for peace talks.

Diplomatic Challenges Ahead

President Zelensky is set to attend a key allies’ meeting in Germany on Thursday at the Ramstein Air Base, the last such meeting before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump assumes office.

Trump has signaled his intention to cut military aid to Ukraine and push for peace terms that could favor Moscow, raising concerns in Kyiv about the potential implications for the war’s trajectory.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are also scheduled to attend the meeting, where discussions will likely focus on maintaining Western support for Ukraine amidst escalating violence.

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