At least 12 people were killed Thursday in Russian strikes that hit Vinnytsia, a city in central Ukraine until then relatively spared from the fighting, the Ukrainian emergency services announced.
"
As of 12:15 p.m. (0915 GMT), 12 dead and 25 injured
," Ukraine's Emergency Situations Service posted on Facebook, adding that firefighters were battling a fire caused by the strikes.
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The images released by the relief show the charred carcasses of many cars, some returned to the roof next to a building of ten floors burned and gutted by the explosion.
According to the emergency services, the strike hit the parking lot attached to this commercial building in the center of Vinnytsia, which houses offices and small clothing and shoe repair shops.
A young child is among those killed, said Ukrainian police chief Ihor Klymenko.
Minutes after the strikes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russia, describing it as "
a murderous country, a terrorist country
".
“
Every day Russia kills civilians, kills Ukrainian children, fires missiles at civilian targets where there is nothing military.
What is it, if not an open act of terrorism?
“, he wrote on the messaging Telegram.
Vinnytsia, a city of about 370,000 inhabitants, is an important railway hub in central-western Ukraine.
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“
These atrocities in Vinnytsia are the latest in a long series of brutal attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure,
” said a statement from EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and EU crisis management commissioner Janez. Lenarcic.
“
There can be no impunity for the violations and crimes committed by the Russian forces and their political leaders
”.
For his part, the UN secretary general is "
appalled
" by the Russian attack on Vinnytsia, a city in central Ukraine, his spokesman said on Thursday.
Antonio Guterres "
condemns any attack against civilians or civilian infrastructure
", recalled his spokesperson.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, central and western Ukraine have been considered relatively safe areas, away from the southern and eastern front lines and welcoming many displaced Ukrainians.