Russia reportedly fired more than 20 missiles and two drones at Ukraine on Friday, leaving 16 people dead.
The attacks are the first of their kind since two months ago, when Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, was also bombed. Among the 16 people killed in the drone attacks were three children.
“The strikes on the nine-story residential building in central Ukraine occurred in Uman, a city located around 215 kilometers (134 miles) south of Kyiv. Fourteen people died in that attack, according to the interior ministry, including two 10-year-old children and a toddler,” Newsmax reported.
In eastern Ukraine, where a grinding war of attrition has taken hold, the bombardment was nowhere near the war’s wide front lines or active combat zones. Throughout the 14-month conflict, Russia has undertaken many long-range missile attacks that routinely target residential locations without warning.
According to Ukrainian officials and analysts, the strikes are a calculated intimidation tactic by the Kremlin, which has denied having any military objectives against civilians.
“Missile strikes killing innocent Ukrainians in their sleep, including a 2-year-old child, is Russia’s response to all peace initiatives,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted on Friday. “The way to peace is to kick Russia out of Ukraine.”
One of the residents affected, Halyna, told the Associated Press that she and her husband were covered in glass by the blast. She then saw flames outside their apartment window and scrambled out.
“I was calling, calling her (on the phone), but she didn’t pick up. I even rang the doorbell, but still no answer,” Halyna said, adding that she used the spare keys from her friend’s apartment and went inside to check on her, only to find her lying dead on her apartment floor.
Another building resident, Olha Turina, said that glass from the explosion flew everywhere. Turina, whose husband is fighting on the front lines, said one of her child’s classmates was missing.
“I don’t know where they are, I don’t know if they are alive,” she said. “I don’t know why we have to go through all this. We never bothered anyone.”
This comes as both countries are on the verge of working toward a peace treaty, thanks to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who held a “long and meaningful” phone call, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
