
The aftermath of a Russian airstrike on Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, 23 January 2025. Photo: Ivan Fyodorov
Multiple Russian airstrikes and widespread shelling in southeastern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region have left one person dead and injured at least another 46, Governor Ivan Fyodorov announced on Thursday.
According to Fyodorov, over 20,000 people have been left without power, and a further 17,000 people without heating in the aftermath of the Russian strikes on 10 population centres in the region, which began on Wednesday afternoon and continued into Thursday morning.
Regional capital Zaporizhzhia has been subjected to two separate Russian airstrikes on Thursday, Fyodorov said, with Shahed drones first targeting the city’s energy infrastructure in a pre-dawn attack, followed by ballistic missile strikes later on Thursday morning.
One high-rise building in the city was destroyed, while some 30 others suffered damage, and there were also reports of serious infrastructure damage, Fyodorov said, adding that in total the Russian military had used 188 drones and 161 artillery shells to attack the region.
The city of Zaporizhzhia has been the target of repeated Russian attacks in recent months, with seven people being killed in a missile strike on the city in December, and 13 people dying when Russia used glide bombs to attack the city’s industrial infrastructure earlier this month.
Urging the international community to put even greater pressure on the Kremlin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed that “support for Ukraine is what saves lives,” and reiterated the country’s urgent need for more air defence systems to protect its cities from Russian airstrikes, as well as for more weapons for its soldiers on the frontline.