Kyiv [Ukraine], June 30 : Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urgently appealed for additional long-range weapons following a devastating Russian missile strike that killed at least seven people, including children, and injured 31 others in Vilniansk, located in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, CNN reported.
Ivan Fedorov, head of the Zaporizhzhia regional military administration, declared Sunday a day of mourning, lamenting the "unspeakable pain" caused by what he described as an "enemy attack."
According to Fedorov, "Three children were among those killed and eight children were among the injured." The strike damaged critical infrastructure, residential buildings, and a retail store, with fires spreading to trade pavilions and vehicles, as stated by Ukraine's Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.
A witness to the strike recounted, "It was a weekend, everyone was having a rest ... it wasn't even late, it wasn't dark, a missile hit." She described the tragic scene: "Children died, children were injured. So did adults. For no reason. The children had a graduation party, they were graduating from school. They were planning their future," according to CNN.
President Zelenskyy expressed condolences, acknowledging the "pain" and loss felt by those affected. He emphasised the urgent need for enhanced defensive capabilities, stating, "We need to strike with real long-range capability and to increase the number of advanced air defence systems in Ukraine." Zelenskyy underscored the necessity of swift decision-making to prevent further loss of life, stressing that delays "mean losing human lives."
Recent military developments have seen Russia making incremental gains across multiple fronts in Ukraine. In the Donetsk region, Russian forces have advanced towards the strategically important town of Chasiv Yar. These developments highlight Ukraine's vulnerabilities, including stretched manpower and logistical delays in receiving critical supplies from Western allies.
The tragedy in Vilniansk has reignited calls for robust international intervention and solidarity with Ukraine in its struggle against Russian aggression. The international community continues to monitor developments closely, with humanitarian concerns mounting as civilian casualties rise. The urgency of bolstering Ukraine's defences and providing humanitarian assistance remains paramount as the conflict escalates and exacts a devastating toll on civilian populations.
Oleksiy Goncharenko, a Ukrainian politician, expressed concerns over potential shifts in U.S. policy towards Ukraine based on the outcome of the upcoming presidential election. Reflecting on past remarks, he stated, "We're very concerned because we, more or less, understand what it means for Ukraine, [a] Biden presidency, and we really don't know what it means for Ukraine, a Trump presidency. It can be very good, it can be very bad. We just don't know. And that's definitely concerning," CNN reported.
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