A Russian morning attack on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia injured 30 people, including six children, and damaged residential buildings, local authorities said on Nov. 13. The strike hit a multi-story residential building in the Kosmichnyi District. Apartments on three floors sustained damage, and fires broke out on the second and third floors. Rescuers freed 17 people who had been trapped in their apartments following the strike, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said. Fires also broke out in the building’s apartments and a nearby car, while the Russian attack damaged apartments and the facade of another five-story residential building.
Damage to residential areas
Emergency service psychologists provided assistance to 31 residents, including two children. Search and rescue operations continue, authorities said. This attack follows a day where Russia carried out 972 strikes on 52 settlements, injuring 15 people, including two children, in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, according to Governor Ivan Fedorov. At around 6:30 a.m. local time, Russia launched another two strikes, killing a 17-year-old and injuring at least four other people, Fedorov reported.
Military pressure in the region
Yevhen Lasiychuk, the commander of Ukraine’s 7th Air Assault Corps, said in an interview published on Nov. 10 that Russian forces seek to impose a logistical blockade on Zaporizhzhia, potentially paving the way for an advance toward the city of Dnipro. Russia may seek to open another axis of advance in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, potentially forcing Kyiv to divert troops from Donetsk Oblast, Lasiychuk said. DeepState territorial data, cited by Visua, shows Russian forces occupy around 75% of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Lasiychuk warned losing Zaporizhzhia would be comparable to losing Donbas.
