Several people are dead after a serious rocket attack on a major Ukrainian city. The rescue work is ongoing. According to a BBC analysis, there are now more than 50,000 deaths on the Russian side.
A Russian rocket attack on the city of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine killed many people. According to rescue workers and authorities, the number of deaths rose to 17. There were also more than 60 injured. There are also several children among them.
During the attack, three rockets hit near the city center, the region’s military governor, Vyacheslav Tschaus, said in his Telegram channel shortly after the attack. He spoke of a terrible morning. Chernihiv is located about 150 kilometers north of Kiev, not far from the border with Russia.
The large city of Chernihiv is located in the north of Ukraine – not far from the border with Russia.
Search for six missing people
Russia is said to have used the Iskander mobile missile system for the bombardment. The range of the system is around 500 kilometers. According to official information, a hotel, the district hospital, the main university building and several residential buildings were hit.
The rescue workers searched under the rubble for other victims of the attack. The police say six people are missing.
Zelenskyj again calls for strengthening of anti-aircraft defenses
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his condolences to the victims’ families. At the same time, in view of the tragedy, he renewed his call for strengthening anti-aircraft defenses. “This would not have happened if Ukraine had received sufficient air defense and if the world had been determined enough to counter Russian terror,” the head of state wrote on Telegram.
In the past few days and weeks, Zelensky has repeatedly pointed out that the Russian troops are increasingly gaining the upper hand in the war due to the West’s slow arms support.
Due to a lack of anti-aircraft systems and ammunition, the Russians have now destroyed many important objects in Ukraine, said Zelensky. In addition, the deficit in artillery ammunition is critical, with the Russians now firing ten times what the Ukrainians have available.
The number of unreported deaths is probably significantly higher
According to an analysis by the British broadcaster BBC, there are now more than 50,000 deaths on the Russian side. This comes from counts by the Russian-speaking BBC editorial team, the independent media group Mediazona and volunteers, according to the BBC report.
However, according to Western estimates, the actual number is likely to be more than twice as high because many deaths cannot be confirmed. Satellite images of cemeteries, some of which were verified with images and videos from the ground, official reports, newspapers and social media were evaluated.
“Meat grinder” tactics are very costly
The deaths among the pro-Russian fighters from the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk occupied by Moscow were not counted. According to the BBC report, there is no current official figure on the extent of Russian losses.
According to experts, one of the reasons for the high losses of the Russian invasion troops is a so-called “meat grinder” tactic, in which the enemy lines are to be overrun with large numbers of attackers. However, this turned out to be very costly and brought only small territorial gains.
According to Kiev, Ukraine lost 31,000 soldiers by February of this year. However, according to US intelligence agencies, the true number is likely to be higher, the BBC report said.