Rescue workers were scrambling through rubble searching for survivors Monday after Russian missiles slammed into the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, killing at least four people and injuring dozens more, regional Gov. Serhii Lysak said.
Lysak said at least 31 people were injured, including some “severe” cases. A nine-story apartment building and a four-story building at a university were severely damaged in the city of more than 600,000 people, authorities said.
“Four people have already died, among them a 10-year-old child,” Lysak wrote on Telegram. “There may be people under the rubble. The search operation is ongoing.”
Russian missiles and attack drones have routinely blasted residential and commercial buildings across Ukraine since the war began more than 17 months ago. Those attacks have stepped up in recent days amid a string of far less damaging Ukrainian drone strikes on Moscow and Crimea that the Kremlin has branded as “terrorism.”
“The enemy has been stubbornly attacking cities, city centers, shelling civilian objects and housing,” Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelneskyy said. “But this terror will not frighten us or break us.”
Trump weighs in:Trump demands halt in Ukraine aid pending Biden probe; drone attack slams Moscow
Developments:
∎ The Russian mercenary Wagner Group says it has suspended recruitment of new members citing “large personnel reserves.”
∎ China tightened export controls on civilian drones Monday to ensure they are not used for military purposes in Ukraine or elsewhere. The new rules make clear that drones can’t be exported if the exporter knows − or should have known − the drones could be used for military purposes.
‘The front is a disgrace’:Prigozhin says Wagner troops won’t fight in Ukraine now. Live updates.
Russian lawmaker says US could escalate Ukraine war in 2024
Both major U.S. political parties could escalate the war in order to get additional votes in the 2024 elections, a top Russian lawmaker said Monday. In an interview with Russia’s Arguments and Facts, Konstantin Kosachev, vice speaker of the Federation Council, warned Russians that Democrats and Republicans won’t hesitate to use foreign policy to gain traction with the electorate.
“The U.S presidential campaign, which will culminate in 2024, may turn out to be a very unfortunate, if not fatal circumstance,” Kosachev said. “I cannot say that there will definitely be an aggravation, but such a risk exists, it is obvious to me.”
