Three Russian missiles hit a downtown area in Chernigov, a city located in northern Ukraine, and hit an eight-story apartment building,
killing at least 14 people
, according to authorities.
The impact of one of the projectiles was captured by a person waiting for a bus and the video went viral.
"A few minutes ago, Russian terrorists launched a missile attack against the center of the peaceful Ukrainian city of Chernigov, according to preliminary data, unfortunately there are dead and many injured. I pray for their salvation and that the Almighty will reward the villains," said the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine Moshe Azman in X.
Shortly after, Azman insisted with another message on the same social network in which he reports on the three Russian missiles fired at Chernigov "when the locals were going to work and the children were going to school."
"According to the latest authorities, 14 people were killed and more than 60 injured, including children. The search and rescue operation continues, there may still be people under the rubble," he added.
A few minutes ago, Russian terrorists launched a missile attack on the center of the peaceful Ukrainian city of Chernigov, according to preliminary data, unfortunately there are dead and many wounded. I pray for their salvation and that the Almighty will reward the villains. pic.twitter.com/CSNM0lrnsP
— Chief Rabbi Of Ukraine Moshe Azman (@RabbiUkraine) April 17, 2024
According to the Ukrainian emergency services, of the 61 people injured
there were two children.
The Ministry of the Interior warned that the toll could rise, since there were
six people reported missing.
The bombing damaged social infrastructure, an education center, a hospital and 16 residential buildings, according to Ukrainian authorities. Another of the videos replicated on the networks showed how
a crane transported a completely destroyed car.
A team of journalists from the AFP agency at the scene saw an eight-story hotel partly destroyed and a group of firefighters working to remove the rubble with a crane.
President Volodymyr Zelensky
, reiterating his call for more help from Western powers to confront the Russian invasion,
stated that Ukraine did not have enough air defenses
to intercept the missiles that hit Chernigov.
"This would not have happened if Ukraine received sufficient air defense equipment and if the world's determination to resist Russia's terror was sufficient," he lamented on Telegram.
The city, located in an eponymous region bordering Belarus, was under occupation at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022
, but after the withdrawal of troops from Moscow about two years ago there has been no further fighting.
Chernigov Mayor Oleksandr Lomako told state media that the bombing hit a "very populated" area of the city and hit a civilian building.
Chernigov, one of the oldest cities in Ukraine, founded about 1,000 years ago, is 145 kilometers north of the Ukrainian capital and had a population of 285,000 before the war.
The town suffered significant damage when Russian tanks advanced from Belarus to invade Ukraine in February 2022.
Ukraine demands military support
Russia bombards Ukraine relentlessly with missiles and explosive drones and mainly attacks the energy infrastructure of this former Soviet republic.
The war is now in its third year and Ukraine insists with the warning of a lack of military support from its allies.
The United States, for example, has an allocation to assist kyiv that has been stalled for months in Congress by the Republican opposition in an election year.
After Israel managed to intercept a massive barrage of missiles and drones launched by Iran this weekend with military support from Western countries, Zelensky's frustration was exacerbated.
Ukraine's needs are urgent, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank.
“The Russians are exiting positioning tactics and beginning to resume battlefield maneuvers due to delays in the delivery of US military assistance to Ukraine,” the center said in an analysis late Tuesday.
And along those lines, he added: “Ukraine cannot maintain current lines without the rapid resumption of American assistance, especially in air defense and artillery, which only the United States can provide quickly and widely.”
At the moment, Ukraine uses long-range missiles and drones to attack Russia behind the front lines, a tactic designed to interfere with the Russian war machine.
With information from agencies.