The number of people injured in Wednesday’s Russian bombing of Zaporizhzhia has risen to 32, Ivan Fedorov, head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, wrote on Telegram. He added that two people were also wounded in a Russian drone strike on a civilian car in Kushuhum, south of Zaporizhzhia.
Rescue services earlier on Wednesday said that five children were among the casualties in a provisional toll of 30, after strikes on an apartment building complex, a house and a school.
The Secretary of the Zaporizhzhia’s City Council, Rehina Kharchenko, reported on Telegram that the aerial bombs demolished 163 apartments in the residential block, and the building was at risk of collapse.
“The hit was on the upper floors, and there is a danger to residents on the lower floors. We are addressing the issue of relocating these people. More than a hundred municipal workers are currently working at the site,” she wrote.
She clarified that there were no rubble piles in the building because the guided aerial bomb passed straight through it.
Russian forces attacked Ukraine overnight with strike drones launched from multiple directions, the Ukrainian Air Force reported.
“The enemy attacked with 69 strike unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of the Shahed, Gerbera and other types,” the Air Force said in a Telegram post.
The air assault was repelled by Ukrainian aviation, air defense missile units, electronic warfare and unmanned systems units, as well as mobile fire groups of the Defense Forces.
According to preliminary data, as of 9 a.m., air defenses had shot down or suppressed 37 Russian UAVs in the north, south and east of the country. Another 29 strike drones were recorded hitting targets at 12 locations.
Overnight, Russian forces launched two waves of drone attacks on the southern Odesa region, damaging transport infrastructure. A fire broke out at the site but was quickly extinguished. No casualties were reported.
Earlier, on Dec. 13, Russia carried out a massive strike on Odesa and the surrounding region, causing widespread disruptions to power and water supplies.
DTEK reported that nearly 288,000 households in Odesa region remain without electricity due to damage to energy infrastructure. Centralized water supply has been fully restored, while water deliveries, invincibility points, and field kitchens continue to operate.
In the Kharkiv region, a Russian drone struck a private home in the village of Zamist, Kupyansk district, injuring a 50-year-old man, the State Emergency Service (DSNS) reported.
The man suffered minor injuries and acute stress. An outbuilding and a car caught fire and were extinguished by firefighters.
In the Donetsk region, Russian troops attacked emergency responders with an FPV drone in Druzhkivka while they were responding to a fire call.
Four DSNS personnel were injured when a fuel tanker was hit and were taken to hospital. A fire engine was also damaged.
In a report at 11.46 a.m., Zaporizhzhia Regional Governor Ivan Fedorov said Russian forces were attacking the city, hitting a residential building. He also released a video showing damage to a high-rise apartment block.
Fedorov later added that Russian forces had also struck one of the city’s infrastructure facilities.
“The consequences are being clarified,” he wrote.
In the latest update Fedorov clarified that Russia launched three strikes on Zaporizhzhia and the surrounding district.
“In the regional center, two residential buildings were hit. Preliminary reports suggest there may be people under the rubble,” he wrote.
He added that a woman was injured in the Kushuhum community and is receiving all necessary medical assistance.
According to Fedorov’s latest report, at least 26 people, including one child, were injured in the Russian strikes on Zaporizhia and the surrounding region.
The attacks, carried out with guided aerial bombs, destroyed residential buildings and damaged infrastructure, including an educational institution. All the wounded are receiving the necessary medical care.
This ongoing news story will be updated as more information becomes available.