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Russia launches missiles on western Ukraine, killing child: reports

11.08.2023 20:00
Russian forces have carried out a missile strike on Ukraine’s western Ivano-Frankivsk region, killing an eight-year-old boy, Ukrainian officials have said.
Photo:
Photo:Nazarij, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

The attack was conducted on Friday morning, Polish state news agency PAP reported.

Russian forces launched four  Kinzhal ballistic missiles towards an airfield in the Ivano-Frankivsk  province, aiming at Ukrainian pilots scheduled to go to Europe for training on the US-made F-16 fighter jets, Ukraine’s air force said.  

The missiles struck a nearby civilian home, killing an eight-year old boy who died from serious wounds in hospital, according to news outlets.

"Medics did everything possible, but unfortunately the child's life could not be saved," regional governor Svitlana Onyshchuk wrote on the Telegram social messaging app.

Several more people were injured, according to officials.

One of the four Kinzhal missiles was shot down near Kyiv, the Reuters news agency reported. 

Ukraine’s air force said: "One X-47 (hypersonic) missile was destroyed within Kyiv region. The rest hit near the airfield. Civilian infrastructure was damaged, and one of the missiles hit a residential area."

Russia conducts five missile strikes on Ukraine on Friday, killing one person: officials

In all, Russian forces launched five missile strikes on Ukraine on Friday, killing at least one person, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said. 

One of the strikes was destroyed, according to officials.

Russia also carried out 24 air strikes and fired some 37 shelling jets at Ukrainian forces and settlements, destroying residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, the General Staff said, as quoted by Britain’s The Guardian newspaper.

“The probability of missile and air strikes throughout Ukraine remains high,” Ukraine’s military command warned in its daily roundup. 

At least 499 children killed in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: officials

Meanwhile, the Ukraine’s prosecutor general office said on Friday that Russia had so far killed 499 children and injured 1,097 during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.  

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.

Friday is day 534 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

(pm)

Source: PAP, Reuters, The Guardian