Hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin signs the annexation treaties for the occupied Ukrainian provinces of Zaporizhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Lugansk, Russian troops have struck again against civilian targets.
At least 23 people have been killed and 28 others injured in a missile attack on a convoy of civilians in the Zaporizhia region of southern Ukraine, Oleksandr Staruj, the Ukrainian governor of the province of the same name, reported in a statement. Telegram message.
The attack occurred at 7:15 a.m. local time (6:15 a.m. in mainland Spain), in an old vehicle sales market where dozens of civilian cars and vans were waiting to “leave the temporarily occupied territory, pick up their relatives and bring help”, as confirmed by the governor.
The anti-aircraft alarms had not stopped sounding throughout the night, while numerous explosions were heard.
Local anti-aircraft defenses tried to repel the impact of Russian missiles for hours, until three of them reached the dozens of vehicles waiting for the right moment to resume their journey.
A large crater several meters deep, fifteen meters from the cars, marks the site of the main explosion, the missile that apparently killed most of the people.
"Russia is a terrorist state," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky cried out on Wednesday.
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In the middle of the morning, the corpses, covered with blankets and plastic, had not yet been removed from the esplanade.
At least a dozen victims still lay on the ground - on the blanket that covers one of them, surrounded by a large pool of blood, the number "17" is written in black.
Many other bodies were still inside the vehicles, some accompanied by their pets, also dead.
People of different ages could be seen inside the cars, together with the packages they were carrying, both in the front and back seats.
At least thirty cars were damaged in the blast, with windows shattered and doors ripped out.
The criminalistic police, military and members of the Prosecutor's Office against war crimes have traveled to the place to carry out the investigation.
However, every so often the bombed area must be evacuated: anti-aircraft alarms continue to warn of another possible attack, forcing everyone to clear the area, including the few family members who come to recognize the bodies.
A policeman covers the body of one of the victims The city is one of the four provinces that have held pseudo-referendums this week on annexation to Russia and many civilians have fled the region so as not to remain in Russian territory when this afternoon the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, sign the annexation treaties of Zaporizhia and Kherson, in the south of Ukraine, and Donetsk and Lugansk, in the east. STRINGER (REUTERS)
A person's body remains on the ground after the attack.
The regional governor of Zaporizhia, Oleksandr Starukh, announced this Friday that tomorrow, Saturday, October 1, will be a day of mourning throughout the province of Zaporizhia after a Russian missile attack killed at least 23 people and left others injured. other 28.STRINGER (REUTERS)
Several civilian bodies remain on the ground after the Russian attack.
The UN Security Council will vote today on a draft resolution to condemn the referendums held in areas of Ukraine partially controlled by Russian troops and to warn against the Kremlin's plans to annex these territories, according to diplomatic sources.
STRINGER (REUTERS)
Health personnel help a woman after the Russian bombardment.
Local anti-aircraft defenses tried to repel the arrival of Russian missiles for hours, until three of them hit the civilian convoy. STRINGER (REUTERS)
The body of a civilian remains on the ground after the Russian bombardment in Zaporizhia.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has responded in a message on Telegram to the Russian attack: "The terrorist state fires missiles at the civilian population in Zaporizhia, Mikolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk," Zelensky wrote, who has described the Kremlin troops as “bloodthirsty scum”.
Luis de Vega
The body of a person remains lying on the ground after the Russian attack, in Zaporizhia.
The attacked esplanade is a well-known area: it is where the main road from the south ends, which runs along the Dnieper River, through which the flow of refugees usually arrives. Luis de Vega
Crater after the impact of the Russian missile in Zaporizhia.
At least thirty cars are affected, destroyed by the explosion and shrapnel. STRINGER (REUTERS)
The body of a person remains inside a vehicle after the Russian attack.
STRINGER (REUTERS)
Damage caused to a convoy of vehicles after the attack in Zaporizhia.
STRINGER (REUTERS)
Aerial view distributed by the Police showing the crater after the impact of the Russian missile.
AP
The esplanade attacked is a known area.
The main road from the south ends at it, which runs along the Dnieper River, through which the flow of Ukrainian refugees usually arrives.
Nearby is the shopping center whose car park houses a reception center with NGOs, humanitarian aid and Ukrainian authorities.
Zaporizhia is one of four provinces - in addition to Lugansk, Donetsk and Kherson - that have held illegal referendums this week on its annexation to Russia.
Many civilians have fled these regions so as not to remain on Russian territory when the country's president, Vladimir Putin, signs the annexation treaties this Friday.
Russia denies the attack
The Russian administrator of the occupied region of Zaporizhia, Vladimir Rogov, has denied Russian authorship of the massacre and has blamed the attack on Ukrainian forces.
“They have shot at a group of cars waiting to move to the liberated territory at the exit of Zaporizhia”, he has written in his account on Telegram.
“It is the classic Anglo-Saxon provocation against the disloyal civilian population”, added Rogov, who assures that the aggression “has been carried out according to the classic formula of 'they have shot at themselves', to accuse Russia afterwards.
According to him, the attacked people “blocked the road two days ago asking to be allowed to go to liberated territories [by Russia]”.
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