One Indian killed in Russian strike on Ukraine’s Kyiv
The news of the fatality earlier in the day came in from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said several residential buildings and civilian infrastructure have been damaged in Russian attacks.
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out a fire following a Russian missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Photo: AP)
An Indian citizen was among 12 people killed in the latest Russian attacks on Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday, as drones and ballistic missiles struck several cities in the eastern European nation, damaging residential buildings and civilian infrastructure.
According to sources in the Indian diaspora community in Kyiv, the deceased was identified as Sudarshan Bhabhilala, 40, from Gujarat, who was killed due to a severe head injury after the Russian attack.
Another person, who was injured was identified as Ganesh Kalleda, 35, from Telangana, and he is on treatment for bleeding in the leg after the Russian attack, and is in stable condition now.
Since Monday evening, guided aerial bomb and drone strikes have continued against Odesa city and the surrounding region, leaving thousands of families without electricity, Zelenskyy said in a social media post.
“Overall, 12 people were killed, among them an Indian citizen,” he said.
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“My condolences to everyone who has lost family and loved ones,” the Ukrainian president added.
Zelenskyy said dozens of people were injured in the attacks, which also hit Kyiv, Odesa, Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Sumy and Dnipro regions.
In Kyiv, seven people were killed in a strike on a railway depot.
In Boryspil, a five-storey residential building was damaged, and 50 people were evacuated, while four people were killed and 13 injured in the city, Zelenskyy said.
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He said nearly 350 first responders were involved in rescue and recovery operations in Kyiv and the surrounding region alone.
“A significant number of jet-powered drones and ballistic missiles were used in the attack,” Zelenskyy said, adding that residential buildings and civilian infrastructure were damaged.
Russian guided aerial bomb and drone strikes also continued against Odesa and the surrounding region, he said.
A border crossing with Romania and export infrastructure were also “deliberately damaged”, according to Zelenskyy.
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The president blamed Russia for deliberately targeting civilians and called for increased air defence assistance to Ukraine.
“Russia always plans its strikes specifically to cause as much destruction to people’s lives as possible, and it succeeds only when air defence capabilities are insufficient.
“The number of victims of Russian terror directly hinges on every new package of assistance,” Zelenskyy said, while thanking countries supporting Ukraine through the Priority Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) and bilateral supplies.
Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More
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In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out a fire following a Russian missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Photo: AP) 
