Police officers work at a site of a shopping mall damaged during Russian missile and drone strikes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipro, Ukraine July 3, 2024. REUTERS/Mykola Synelnykov
DNIPRO, Ukraine (Reuters) -A Russian missile and drone strike killed at least five people and wounded 53 in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Wednesday, and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged the West to supply more air defences and long-range weapons.
Footage filmed by a scared onlooker and published by Zelenskiy on his Telegram messaging app showed a large explosion in the sky followed by a fireball shooting off towards the ground.
"Inside, everything is damaged, outside everything is also damaged. I've got jitters on my body, my hands ... it's all very complicated and scary," Olha, the manager of a cafe that was hit, told Reuters.
She said some of her staff had been wounded and were concussed.
Georgyi, an elderly man with a bandaged nose and bloodied face, told Reuters: "There was such a strong explosion that the wave hit me and I fell."
At least four of the 53 wounded remained in severe condition, local authorities said.
Russia denies targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure. Thousands of civilians have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
"This Russian terror can only be stopped by modern air defences and our long-ranged weapons," Zelenskiy said. "The world can protect lives, and only the decisiveness of leaders is needed."
Borys Filatov, the city's mayor, announced a day of mourning for Thursday. He said on Telegram that the attack damaged kindergartens, schools and hospitals and caused fires across the city. Commercial buildings were also damaged, officials said.
"The morning has not been good for us. The enemy launched a combined attack on our city," Serhiy Lysak, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, said.
At least 11 people had been taken to hospital and two were in grave condition, Lysak said.
He published pictures of emergency workers clearing shattered glass and extinguishing fires.
The Ukrainian Air Force said the Russian forces targeted the Dnipropetrovsk region with seven missiles and five Shahed drones. Air defences were able to shoot down five missiles and all the drones, it said.
Russia has intensified aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent months as its forces have tried to advance. It has targeted power facilities in particular, causing widespread blackouts.
(Additional reporting by Yuliia Dysa and Olena Harmash; Writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing by Christina Fincher)
