Russian forces last night targeted President Volodymyr Zelensky’s home town of Kryvyi Rih, in central Ukraine. Two people were killed when a Russian missile smashed into a hotel at 10pm, just as guests were bedding down for the night. The strike also injured 29 – including a child, said local Mayor Oleksandr Vilkul, on the Telegram messaging app. Of those injured, 20 remained in critical condition this morning. Firefighters worked for several hours to rescue them, using a crane to reach upper levels.
Ukraine‘s Emergency Services confirmed that 14 people had been rescued from rubble at the hotel which suffered heavy damage.
Fire crews were forced to make their way through piles of rubble outside the floodlit five-storey building before clambering up and down ladders.
Smoke billowed from the top of the hotel and virtually all its windows had been blown out.
Kryvyi Rih has been a frequent target since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
With a population of about 660,000, it is the second-largest city in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, and is located roughly 40 miles northwest of the nearest front line.