Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that lives could have been saved if Ukraine had received sufficient Western military aid before the Russian air strike that killed 13 people in the northern Ukrainian town of Chernihiv on Wednesday, the 17th of April, reports Politico.
“This would not have happened if Ukraine had received a sufficient number of air defence systems and if the world’s determination to fight Russian terrorism had also been sufficient,” Zelensky wrote bitterly on X.
In the attack, Russian forces fired several missiles at local infrastructure and civilian homes while people were on their way to work, said Oleksandr Lomako, the acting mayor of the city.
Images of the aftermath of the strike on #Chernihiv
At the moment it is known about 20 injured and 10 dead. There are people under the rubble, a rescue operation is underway. pic.twitter.com/7NhV8mZoA8
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) April 17, 2024
Sixty people were injured and 13 were killed, Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram, indicating that a search and rescue operation was underway to save people still trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings. Four apartment blocks, a hospital, an educational institution and dozens of private cars were also damaged in the attack, he added.
Zelenskyy indicated that the death toll could rise.
Russia has stepped up its attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, with Kyiv experiencing a shortage of air defence missiles to counter these attacks. Ukraine has not been able to replenish its stocks because US aid worth 60 billion US dollars has been delayed, stalled in Congress by partisan interests.
In a recent interview with the American broadcaster PBS, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine has no chance of winning the war if the US does not help.
“Determination matters. Support is important. Ukrainian determination is sufficient. There must be equally sufficient determination from our partners and, as a result, sufficient support,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.
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