At least 9 killed in Russian ballistic missile strike on hospital in Zaporizhzhia

Russia struck a private medical clinic in the center of Zaporizhzhia using a long-range projectile, killing at least nine civilians and injuring another 22 people overnight on Dec. 10.

Local authorities said the ballistic missile attack also damaged more than a dozen nearby residential buildings in the southern Ukrainian city of 500,000 people that houses a sizable population of internally displaced people (IDPs).

Ivan Fedorov, head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, reported that the search for survivors under the rubble has been ongoing for over 24 hours as of this publication. Video footage on the morning of Dec. 11 showed first responders using three search-and-rescue dogs at the damaged sites. 

Medical teams in Zaporizhzhia successfully revived one person who had initially been declared dead.

First responders also rescued two women who had been trapped underneath rubble for more than seven hours. The women were able to call emergency services on their own and provide their location.

The Prosecutor-General’s Office is probing the incident as a war crime that caused these deaths of innocent civilians.

“We don’t have enough systems now to protect our country from Russian missiles. But our partners do have these systems,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after the attack. “We repeat, again and again, that air defense systems should save lives, not collect dust in storage bases.”

The private clinic and a nearby café were severely damaged. The blast wave and debris also damaged 20 residential buildings, three non-residential structures, and several passenger vehicles belonging to local residents.

More than 160 people and nearly 50 units of equipment were involved in the recovery operation.

Russia bombards Zaporizhzhia and the surrounding region almost daily. The occupiers also use guided aerial bombs in the area during airborne attacks.

“This is purely a terrorist tactic. It’s an attempt to apply pressure on the population of our cities and [population] settlements through physical and firepower means,” said Serhii Bratchuk, spokesman for the Ukrainian volunteer army Pivden (South), in September.

Russia aims to extend the range from which its aircraft can launch bombs while avoiding retaliation from Ukraine’s defense forces, he added.

Since the Russian occupation of much of southern Ukraine, including parts of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, the city of Zaporizhzhia has become a crucial hubs for Ukrainians fleeing their homes in areas occupied by the invaders.

The city has officially registered over 160,000 IDPs, with an additional 70,000 in the Zaporizhzhia district.

Russia attacks Ukrainian cities and villages daily. The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) publishes news about the largest attacks. For full information on the aftermath of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, read the Victory Chronicles.