At least 6 killed in Russian strike on Zelenskyy’s hometown in central Ukraine

Update 1 (Changes lede, headline and adds detail throughout)

Kyiv, Jun 13 (EFE).- A massive overnight Russian missile strike in Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in central Ukraine, has left at least six people dead, officials said on Tuesday.

Kryvyi Rih, in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast in central Ukraine, has a population of 635,000 and is located about 440 kilometers (273 miles) south of Kyiv.

“More terrorist missiles, Russian killers continue their war against residential buildings, ordinary cities and people. Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded. The rescue operation in Kryvyi Rih continues,” Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter.

“(The) terrorists will never be forgiven, and they will be held accountable for every missile they launch,” he added.

The Central Dnipropetrovsk region military head Serhiy Lysak confirmed the “cruel” attack on Telegram saying Russian forces had targeted the residential sector overnight.

“Unfortunately, six people have already been killed. The rescue operation is ongoing,” the report read.

Lysak urged people not to ignore the air raids sirens, admitting that the situation was “still dangerous.”

The official said that one of the missiles had struck and mutilated a five-story residential building.

“Apartments from the first to the fifth floor are in flames. The blaze covered 700 square meters. Rescuers are working to put the fire out,” Lysak said, local news agency Ukrinform reported.

The Ukrainian official also reported another three deaths at a private enterprise but said that there were likely to be more people under the rubble.

Another four people were injured at another location, he added.

Meanwhile, Russian-installed authorities in occupied Kherson in southern Ukraine raised the death toll linked to the breach of the Kakhovka dam to 17.

The Nova Kakhovka dam was destroyed on Tuesday last week, unleashing flood waters on both sides of the Dnipro River.

Both Ukraine and Russia blame each other for the breach.

According to the most recent reports, 12 people died in Hola Prostan and five in Oleshki, Andrey Alekseenko, a Russian-installed Kherson official said on Tuesday.

However, volunteers who are working on the relief and rescue operation on the left bank of the Dnipro River, in Russian-controlled territories, speak of dozens of deaths, according to reports in independent Russian media.

Residents in occupied areas also told reporters that many people remained missing.

On the right bank of the Dnipro River, Ukraine declared 10 dead and 42 missing following the massive breach.

On the frontlines, Ukraine reported new advances around Bakhmut and in the province of Zaporizhzhia, in two of the three sectors along the frontlines where Kyiv has confirmed it has started its much-awaited counter-offensive.