The air attack consisted of six missiles which struck several civilian facilities in Kryvyi Rih, including a five-storey apartment building, where three residents were killed, the Ukrainska Pravda website reported.
Russian missiles also hit the premises of a car company and a grocery warehouse, among other civilian targets, officials said.
Oleksandr Vikul, head of the Kryvyi Rih Defence Council, said that the air raid had killed three people and injured 25, including 10 who were “in critical condition” and three who were “in an extremely critical condition.”
Another seven people were "most likely under the rubble" of the destroyed apartment building, Vikul added on the Telegram social messaging app.
The five-storey building was consumed by fire after being struck by a Russian missile, Ukrainska Pravda reported.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was born in Kryvyi Rih, condemned the attack on social media.
He posted a video from his hometown on Facebook and wrote on Twitter: "My condolences to all those who lost their loved ones. Russian terrorists will never be forgiven, and they will be held accountable for every missile they launch."
The United Nations’ humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, said in a statement: “Russia’s invasion has, once again, claimed lives and brought suffering to the people of Ukraine. This morning, an attack on Kryvyi Rih has hit a residential building, killing and injuring many civilians. International humanitarian law is clear: civilians and civilian infrastructure are not a target.”
Ukraine downs 10 cruise missiles, one drone: officials
Meanwhile, air raid sirens blared across the whole of Ukraine in the early hours of Tuesday, with military officials saying the country's air defence forces destroyed all Russian missiles targeting the Ukrainian capital, the Reuters news agency reported.
Ukraine's air defence forces destroyed 10 of 14 cruise missiles and one of four Iranian-made drones launched by Russia, according to Kyiv's top military commanders.
Russian drones hit civilian infrastructure in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, striking a warehouse and a building used by a utility firm, the city’s mayor said.
There was no immediate information about casualties, Britain’s The Guardian newspaper reported.
Ukraine ‘moving forward’ in counteroffensive against Russia: Zelensky
Ukraine’s president said his country’s army was facing “fierce” battles in its counteroffensive against Russian forces, but was “moving forward.”
In a video address to the nation on Monday night, Zelensky said: “The battles are fierce, but we are moving forward, and this is very important. The enemy's losses are exactly what we need.”
Zelensky added: “Thank you to our guys for every Ukrainian flag that is now returning to its rightful place in the villages of the newly de-occupied territory.”
Ukraine’s defence ministry has said that Kyiv’s forces have liberated seven settlements in the eastern Donetsk region over the past week of fighting, taking control of 90 square kilometres of territory, The Guardian reported.
Ukraine has declared the liberation of several villages along the Mokri Yaly river, including Blahodatne, Neskuchne, Makarivka and Storozheve, according to the UK newspaper.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
Tuesday is day 475 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, Reuters, Ukrainska Pravda, The Guardian, president.gov.ua