The deadly attacks come as Russia continues to deploy Ukrainian forces to areas along the Eastern Front.
Russian strikes in Ukraine have killed at least 12 people, including four children, as fighting intensifies during a series of offensives in several regions of the war-torn country.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned on Saturday that the death toll in the village of Vilniansk, near the regional center of Zaporizhia, could rise.
“Seven people, including two children, were killed by a Russian missile attack in the Zaporizhzhia region,” Zelenskyy said on social media, calling on his Western allies to speed up arms deliveries.
“Any delay in decisions in this war means the loss of human life.”
Ukraine's Interior Minister Igor Klimenko said 18 people, including four children, were also injured in Vilniansk, 30 kilometers from the main city of Zaporizhzhia.
The attack occurred “in broad daylight on a weekend in a place where people spend their free time in the city center, without any military infrastructure,” Governor Ivan Fedorov said.
Ukrainian authorities reported that Saturday's attacks killed four people and wounded 23 in eastern villages, as rescuers in the central city of Dnipro dug through the rubble after an attack leveled a nine-story residential building, leaving a dead and 12 injured.
Saturday's heavy attacks come as Russia continues to deploy Ukrainian forces in several areas along the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front. Moscow has stepped up airstrikes in a bid to drain Ukraine's resources, often targeting energy facilities and other vital infrastructure.
“The total number of hostile attacks along the entire front line has increased to 90,” the Ukrainian military said. Eastern Donetsk regional governor Vadym Filashkin said Russian forces shelled populated areas 13 times in the past 24 hours.
Seven people, including two children, have been killed in a Russian missile attack in the Zaporizhzhia region. Eleven people have been injured, including three children. Unfortunately, the number of victims may still increase.
Our cities and communities suffer… image.twitter.com/dbKQT8KTZK
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Volodymyr Zelensky (@ZelenskyyUa) June 29, 2024
Zelenskyy said the attack on the Dnipro was a reminder to Ukraine's allies that the country needs more air defense systems.
“That is why we constantly remind all our partners: only a sufficient amount of high-quality air defense systems and only a sufficient amount of determination of the world at large can stop Russian terrorism,” he said.
Fighting in Ukraine has intensified in several directions after Russia launched offensives from several directions, taking advantage of Ukraine being on the defensive militarily.
Russian authorities also reported Ukrainian drone strikes that killed at least five people in Russia's Kursk region. Two children were among the victims in the village of Gorodishche on the Russian-Ukrainian border, Governor Alexey Smirnov said on social media.
