Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned the "cowardly silence" of the Russian people following the rocket attack on a building in the city of Dnipro that killed at least 30 people.
"Your cowardly silence, your attempt to wait out the end of what is happening, will only end in the fact that one day these same terrorists will come for you," the Ukrainian president said in the evening speech.
Zelensky added that he has received many messages of sympathy from all over the world.
And addressing the Russians in their own language, he noted "that even now they have not been able to utter words of condemnation of this terror".
Hour after hour, the death toll rises in Dnipro, the scene of the latest massacre, one of the most serious, in the conflict in Ukraine.
At least 30 people died in the building gutted by a Russian missile.
Among them, even a 15-year-old girl.
More than 70 are injured, including 13 children, while the fate of 30 missing remains unknown.
Even the kids are digging through the debris but, with time running out relentlessly, the hopes of finding any more survivors are "minimal", according to mayor Borys Filatov.
And while still digging into the shapeless mass that was once an apartment building, the words of Vladimir Putin who welcomes the "positive dynamics" that the "special military operation" in Ukraine has taken on, underlining that "
everything is developing according to the plans of the top military". And, without mentioning Dnipro, the Moscow Defense Ministry said that Saturday's raids had "achieve their purpose": "On January 14, a missile attack was carried out on the system of military command and control of Ukraine and related energy structures.
All designated structures have been hit". Kiev denounces once again that "the Russian Federation deliberately kills Ukrainians en masse", in the words of presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak. Condemnation comes from the West for what Poland bluntly defines a "war crime" and Germany demands that the Russians behind these actions "be held accountable", while there is talk of a
possible visit of the Pope to Kiev who re-launched the invitation.
From the remains of the Dnipro palace, where 72 apartments were destroyed and more than 230 were damaged, someone sent text messages to report they were still alive, others activated the torches on their smartphones to be identified.
39 were rescued.
"We continue to fight for every life", promised the president Volodymyr Zelensky, while among the Ukrainians the desperation of those who cannot find the logic of a similar massacre is growing: "There is no air defense, there are no military bases here. They have it only hit civilians, innocent people,” says Ivan, among the shocked survivors.
Other residents have joined rescuers to help clear the rubble, or have brought food and warm clothing to those who have lost their homes.
“This is terrorism, all this is simply not humane,” says Artem, cleaning up the rubble.
Not even in the face of dozens of civilians killed can one hope for a day of respite from the bombs.
Thus, new attacks have hit Kherson, where the premises where representatives of the Red Cross work and a children's center have also been hit.
As Ukrainian regions try to recover from fresh damage to critical infrastructure, eyes remain on the east, where the Russians are claiming successes in their advance towards Bakhmut.
"The enemy does not abandon its intentions to completely capture the Donetsk region", acknowledges the Ukrainian General Staff, speaking of "Russian offensive operations in Bakhmut and Avdiivka".
Peace remains a mirage, the battlefield the only perspective.
Kiev is incessantly demanding more weapons to defeat the invader at the front.
Those same weapons that could have prevented the Dnipro massacre, according to the Ukrainian Air Force: the raid was carried out "undoubtedly with a Kh-22 missile" and "only the anti-aircraft missile systems that could be supplied to Ukraine in the future by Western partners (such as Patriot or Samp-T), are able to intercept them," the air force explained.
NATO secretary general Stoltenberg replies to the appeal, confident that Ukraine can soon expect more heavy weapons from the West.
Because "recent commitments to purchase heavy warfare equipment are important," but "I expect to receive more in the near future," he said.