17 killed in Ukrainian apartments after strike by Russian missiles

At least 17 people were killed as they slept as Russian forces bombarded civilian targets in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia.

The barrage in the city, in a region Moscow has claimed as its own, blasted windows in adjacent buildings and left at least one high-rise apartment building partially collapsed.

The multiple strikes came after an explosion on Saturday caused the partial collapse of a bridge linking the Crimean Peninsula with Russia.

The bridge, which carries road and rail traffic, is one of Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s ‘ pride projects’, constructed after he annexed the Peninsual.

City council secretary An ato liyK ur tev said rockets struck Zap oriz hz hi a overnight, and that at least 20 private homes and 50 apartment buildings were damaged.

At least 40 people were admitted to hospital and dozens more were being treated injuries, Mr Kurtev posted on his Telegram channel.

The Ukrainian military also confirmed the attack, saying there were dozens of casualties.

Russia has repeatedly struck the city is in the Ukrainian controlled-part of a region President Putin annexed in violation of international law last week.

At least 19 people also died in Russian missile strikes on apartment buildings in Zaporizhzhia on Thursday.

“Again, Zaporizhzhia. Again, merciless attacks on civilians, targeting residential buildings, in the middle of the ↑ Vo•unteers work to clean the debris on a site where several houses were destroyed after a Russian attack at a residential area night,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote in a Telegram post.

“Absolute meanness. Absolute evil. … From the one who gave this order, to everyone who carried out this order: they will answer. They must. Before the law and the people,” he added.

Resident sofa building damaged overnight gathered behind police tape watching the smouldering remains of several floors that collapsed from the blast, leaving a chasm at least 40ft wide where apartments once stood.

While Russia targeted Zap orizhzhia before Sat urday’s explosion on the Crimea bridge, the attack was a significant blow to Russia, which annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

No one has claimed responsibility for damaging the bridge.

Mr Put in signed a decree late on Saturday tightening security and for energy infrastructure between Crimea and Russia, and put Russia’s federal security service, the FSB, in charge of the effort.

Some Russian legislators called for Mr Putin to declare a“counter-terrorism operation ”, rather than the term “special military operation” that has down played the scope of fighting to ordinary Russians.

Hours after the explosion, Russia’ s Defence Ministry announced that the air force chief, General Sergei Surovikin, would now command all Russian troops in Ukraine.

GenSurovik in, led R ussian forces in Syria and was accused of overseeing a bombardment that destroyed much of Aleppo.

The 12-mile Kerch Bridge, on a strait between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, is a symbol of Moscow’ s claims on Crimea.