Ukrainian officials said at least 14 people were killed and scores more injured when three Russian missiles struck a busy central district of Chernihiv, north of Kyiv, just before noon on Wednesday.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the death toll, as reported by the Ukrainian prosecutor general's office, could rise and blamed Ukraine's lack of air defense for the loss of life. The prosecutor general said 61 people were injured.
“This would not have happened if Ukraine had received enough air defense equipment and if the world's determination to fight Russian terrorism had also been strong enough,” Mr. Zelensky said in a statement. “Terrorists can only destroy lives when they first threaten those who have the ability to prevent terrorism and protect life.”
Also on Wednesday, explosions and fires were reported at a key Russian air base in the occupied Crimean Peninsula in what appeared to be an attack by Ukraine. Ukrainian officials did not comment on the apparent attack, but Russian military bloggers affiliated with the Kremlin reported that Ukrainian missiles struck locations around the air base in Dzhankoi, Crimea.
The extent of the damage is unknown, but unverified videos posted on social media show a series of explosions and intense fires at the base. Used by military analysts Open source satellite data from NASA said several fires were burning around the facility.
Dzhankoi is Russia's road and rail hub, about 50 miles south of mainland Ukraine. It has been a frequent target of long-range attacks by the Ukrainian military, part of a broader campaign to isolate Russian troops fighting in southern Ukraine and weaken Russian logistics.
With US military aid largely suspended since the start of the year due to opposition from some Republicans in Congress to providing further assistance to Ukraine, Western-supplied air defense systems are needed. to shoot down Russia's daily missile bombardments are almost out of ammunition.
That has increased the urgency of Ukraine's efforts to target Russian arms sources both in occupied areas of Ukraine and inside Russia.
Delays in American support have led to recent losses on the front, and Mr. Zelensky told PBS in an interview broadcast Tuesday that his nation's forces were struggling.
“Honestly, I can tell you that without this support, we would have no chance of winning,” he said.
At the same time, civilian casualties are rising and Ukrainian officials say what happened in Chernihiv on Wednesday could be just a prelude to further bloodshed.
The district where the rocket hit is a dense part of the city, close to universities and hospitals.
“I personally saw people dying on the streets from shrapnel and smashed cars covered in blood,” Oleksandr Lomako, head of the Chernihiv city administration, said by phone. “I looked at the victims' dates of birth; There are a lot of young people there.”
He said rescue workers were still searching for victims in the rubble. “This attack is just another confirmation that Ukraine urgently needs air defense systems and ammunition,” he added.
Chernihiv lies on the border with Russia and rockets regularly appear overhead as Russia launches attacks on towns and cities across Ukraine. “They have been beaten down,” Mr. Lomako said. “But it seems like there isn't any more.”
The city was besieged by Russian troops from the beginning of the war and was severely damaged. But since the Russians were driven out and Ukraine's air defenses improved, the people have returned and managed to rebuild and carry on despite the looming threat.
“Among those killed by Russian shelling was a 25-year-old police lieutenant,” said Ihor Klymenko, Ukraine's Interior Minister. speak in a statement. “The woman who lives next door is on sick leave at home. A fatal shrapnel wound.”
As missiles streaked across the sky, fierce fighting continued across the front, where Ukraine's military struggled to hold the line as Russia sought to exploit Ukraine's depleted arsenal. Over the past week, Russian forces have advanced into several villages, endangering Ukraine's defenses at several key positions in the east.
Russia has advanced on the outskirts of Chasiv Yar, a town vital to Ukraine's defense of the Donbas region, hoping to capture the hilltop fortress and pave the way for sustained attacks on the last major cities remain under Ukrainian control: Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
About 35 miles south of Chasiv Yar, where Ukrainians are trying to hold new lines after being driven out of the city of Avdiivka earlier this year, the Russians have captured more villages as they aim for another stronghold of Ukraine in Pokrovsk.
