Kiev/Moscow, Mar. 29, (dpa/GNA) – At least four people died and 21 were injured on Saturday in a Russian drone strike on Dnipro in central Ukraine, while Moscow accused Kiev of intensifying its attacks on energy facilities despite a ceasefire on the sector.
The military governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Serhiy Lysak, said there were explosions, several fires and severe damage in the city.
He published photos of the devastation on his Telegram channel. “It was a difficult night,” Lysak wrote.
Russian attacks on Ukraine have continued in recent weeks despite attempts by the United States to forge a ceasefire in the conflict, more than three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
US mediators had agreed with both warring countries in separate talks on a partial ceasefire, during which no more energy infrastructure would be bombed.
Civilian infrastructure is not part of the agreement.
The latest incident in Dnipro saw Moscow launch two dozen attacks with drones, most of which were shot down, Ukrainian authorities said.
Lysak said 13 people needed hospital treatment for injuries, with several houses destroyed in the fires.
Tower blocks and public buildings were damaged and a fire also broke out in a restaurant complex.
“Dozens of cars were destroyed,” he added.
The industrial city has been repeatedly targeted in Russian airstrikes.
Moscow accuses Kiev of stepping up attacks on energy facilities
Meanwhile, Russia accused Ukraine of intensifying its attacks on energy facilities.
The number of such attacks in the southern Kursk and Belgorod regions has risen, according to the Ministry of Defence in Moscow.
Power outages had occurred following strikes on high-voltage power lines and substations.
This contradicted the assurances of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about an end to these attacks, the ministry said in a post on Telegram.
Earlier, Zelensky also lashed out at Russia for allegedly still targeting Ukraine’s energy grid.
According to the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the order on March 18 after a phone call with his US counterpart Donald Trump.
The information provided by both sides on the damage could not immediately be verified.
However, both notably now publish comprehensive lists of damage and violations for the first time, after there had been little or no such reporting in the past.
Russia’s defence ministry in particular always reported the shooting down of Ukrainian drones without reporting any hits or damage.
GNA
PDC