Russia pounds Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia city with guided bombs, injures 16

Russia hit the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia with multiple guided bombs on Sunday, wounding at least 16 people, and damaging railways, infrastructure, and residential and commercial buildings, Ukrainian officials said.

Ivan Fedorov, the governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, said that Russian forces hit three city districts with a total of 13 guided bombs between 5 am (0200 GMT) and 7 am (0400 GMT). The strikes injured at least 16 people, including two children aged 8 and 17 years old, he said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on the Telegram messaging app that several residential buildings, the city's infrastructure, and railways were damaged in the strikes. He posted pictures from the sites of the attacks, showing charred cars, a hole blown through a residential building, and rescuers battling fires. Local officials said trains were delayed and diverted while rescuers cleared up the debris.

There was no immediate comment from Moscow on Sunday's strikes.

The highly destructive guided bombs are difficult for Ukrainian air defences to intercept. The southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, an important logistical and industrial hub located about 50 km from the frontline, has been the target of intensified Russian-guided bomb strikes in recent weeks. Moscow's troops partially occupy the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, which is also home to Europe's largest nuclear power plant. Zelenskiy said that during the past week Russian forces used nearly 900 guided bombs, more than 300 Shahed drones and over 40 missiles to strike Ukrainian urban centres, towns, and villages. "This Russian terror knows no pause and it can be stopped only by the unity of the world — unity to support Ukraine and unity to put pressure on Russia for the war," Zelensky said on Telegram.

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