Russian strikes kill 17 in Ukraine following bridge attack

A Russian barrage pounded flat buildings and different targets successful the Ukrainian metropolis of Zaporizhzhia, sidesplitting astatine slightest 17 radical and wounding dozens, officials said Sunday.

The blasts successful the city, which remains nether Ukrainian power but sits successful a portion Moscow has claimed arsenic its own, blew retired windows successful adjacent buildings and near astatine slightest 1 high-rise flat gathering partially collapsed.

The aggregate strikes came aft an detonation Saturday caused the partial illness of a span linking the Crimean Peninsula with Russia. The Kerch Bridge onslaught damaged an important proviso way for the Kremlin's faltering warfare effort successful confederate Ukraine, an artery that besides is simply a towering awesome of Russia's powerfulness successful the region.

The rockets that pounded Zaporizhzhia overnight damaged astatine slightest 20 backstage homes and 50 flat buildings, metropolis assembly Secretary Anatoliy Kurtev said. At slightest 40 radical were hospitalized, Kurtev said connected Telegram.

The Ukrainian subject confirmed the attack, saying determination were dozens of casualties.

Residents gathered down constabulary portion by a gathering wherever respective floors collapsed from the blast, leaving a smoldering chasm astatine slightest 40 feet wide wherever apartments erstwhile stood.

Tetyana Lazun'ko, 73, and her husband, Oleksii, took structure successful the hallway of their top-floor flat aft proceeding sirens, informing of an attack. They were spared the worst of the blast that near them successful fearfulness and disbelief.

"There was an explosion. Everything was shaking," Lazun'ko said. "Everything was flying and I was screaming."

Shards of glass, full model and doorway frames and different debris covered the exterior floors of the flat wherever they'd lived since 1974. Lazun'ko wept inconsolably, wondering wherefore their location successful an country with nary subject infrastructure successful show was targeted.

"Why are they bombing us? Why?" she said.

Oleksii, who sat quietly, leaning connected a woody cane, has suffered 3 strokes, Lazun'ko said. Breaking his silence, helium said slowly, "This is planetary terrorism. You can't beryllium saved from it."

In caller weeks, Russia has repeatedly struck Zaporizhzhia, which is the superior of a portion of the aforesaid sanction that Russian President Vladimir Putin annexed successful usurpation of planetary instrumentality past week. At slightest 19 radical died successful Russian rocket strikes connected flat buildings successful the metropolis connected Thursday.

"Again, Zaporizhzhia. Again, merciless attacks connected civilians, targeting residential buildings, successful the mediate of the night," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote successful a Telegram post.

"Absolute meanness. Absolute evil. … From the 1 who gave this order, to everyone who carried retired this order: they volition answer. They must. Before the instrumentality and the people," helium added

While Russia targeted Zaporizhzhia earlier Saturday's detonation connected the Crimea bridge, the onslaught was a important stroke to Russia, which annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine successful 2014. No 1 has claimed work for damaging the bridge.

Putin signed a decree precocious Saturday tightening information for the span and for vigor infrastructure betwixt Crimea and Russia, and enactment Russia's national information service, the FSB, successful complaint of the effort.

Some Russian lawmakers called for Putin to state a "counterterrorism operation," alternatively than the word "special subject operation" which has downplayed the scope of warring to mean Russians.

Hours aft the explosion, Russia's Defense Ministry announced that the aerial unit chief, Gen. Sergei Surovikin, would present bid each Russian troops successful Ukraine. Surovikin, who this summertime was placed successful complaint of troops successful confederate Ukraine, had led Russian forces successful Syria and was accused of overseeing a bombardment that destroyed overmuch of Aleppo.

The 19-kilometer (12-mile) Kerch Bridge, connected a strait betwixt the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, is simply a awesome of Moscow's claims connected Crimea and an indispensable nexus to the peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine successful 2014.

The $3.6 cardinal bridge, the longest successful Europe, is captious to sustaining Russia's subject operations successful confederate Ukraine. Putin himself presided implicit the bridge's opening successful May 2018.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, successful a video address, indirectly acknowledged the span onslaught but did not code its cause.

"Today was not a atrocious time and mostly sunny connected our state's territory," helium said. "Unfortunately, it was cloudy successful Crimea. Although it was besides warm."

Zelenskyy said Ukraine wants a aboriginal "without occupiers. Throughout our territory, successful peculiar successful Crimea."

Zelenskyy besides said Ukrainian forces precocious oregon held the enactment successful the eastbound and south, but acknowledged "very, precise difficult, precise pugnacious fighting" astir the metropolis of Bakhmut successful the eastbound Donetsk region, wherever Russian forces person claimed caller gains.

Train and automobile postulation implicit the span was temporarily suspended. Automobile postulation resumed Saturday day connected 1 of the 2 links that remained intact, with the travel alternating successful each direction, said Crimea's Russia-backed leader, Sergey Aksyonov.

The Russian transport ministry said connected Telegram Sunday that rider bid postulation betwixt Crimea and the Russian mainland resumed overnight "according to schedule."

In a abstracted Telegram station Sunday, the ministry said car ferries besides were moving betwixt Crimea and the mainland, with the archetypal crossing taking spot soon earlier 2 a.m. section clip (11 p.m. GMT).

While Russia seized areas northbound of Crimea aboriginal successful its penetration of Ukraine and built a onshore corridor to it on the Sea of Azov, Ukraine is pressing a counteroffensive to reclaim that territory arsenic good arsenic 4 regions Putin illegally annexed this month.

Russia has ramped up its strikes connected the metropolis of Zaporizhzhia since formally absorbing the surrounding portion connected September 29.

The determination politician of Zaporizhzhia reported that the decease toll had risen to 32 aft Russia's rocket onslaught connected a civilian convoy making its mode retired of the metropolis connected Sept. 30. In a Telegram post, Oleksandr Starukh that 1 much idiosyncratic died successful the infirmary connected Friday.

A portion of the Zaporizhzhia portion presently nether Russian power is location to Europe's largest atomic powerfulness station. Fighting has repeatedly imperiled the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and Ukrainian authorities unopen down its past operating reactor past period to forestall a radiation disaster.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s atomic watchdog, said Saturday that the Zaporizhzhia works has since mislaid its past remaining outer powerfulness root arsenic a effect of renewed shelling and is present relying connected exigency diesel generators.

The Crimean Peninsula is simply a fashionable destination for Russian tourists and location to a Russian naval base. A Russian tourer relation estimated that 50,000 tourists were successful Crimea connected Saturday.