Russian Air Strike Death Toll Continues To Rise, President Zelensky: We'll Reply To These People

The impact of Russian airstrikes on Ukraine. (Twitter/@ZelenskyyUa)

JAKARTA - President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his condolences and ensured Ukraine would give a firm response when the death toll from Russian airstrikes continued to grow.

In a post on President Zelensky's social media, he wrote, operations to rescue victims of the Russian attack on Monday were continuously carried out by Ukrainian authorities.

"Until now, 38 people have been reported dead, including four children. I share my condolences to all the families and friends affected by this tragedy," he tweeted, as quoted July 9.

"190 people were injured and received assistance. There were 64 people who were hospitalized in Kyiv, 28 people in Kryvyi Rih, and 6 people in Dnipro," he continued, adding that all patients from Okhmadyt had been transferred to other medical institutions.

He added that in some areas hit by missiles, rescue operations continued throughout the night, involving nearly 400 rescue workers.

"We are continuing our work to increase the protection of our cities and communities from Russian terror. There will be decisions. The world has the power it needs for this," he said.

Russia launched airstrikes on Kyiv and other cities in Ukraine on Monday afternoon, with one of the missiles reportedly hitting major children's hospitals in the capital, making it the deadliest airstrike wave in recent months.

Parents who carried the baby walked on the road outside the hospital, dazed and sobbed after the rare day airstrikes. The windows were broken and the panels were torn, and hundreds of Kyiv residents helped clean up the debris.

The rescue operation after yesterday's Russian missile attack continues.As of now, 38 people have been reported dead, including four children. My condolences to all the families and friends affected by this tragedy.190 people were injured and are receiving assistance. There… pic.twitter.com/T7kfLkggKx

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 9, 2024

The rescue operation after yesterday's Russian miss continues.As of now, 38 people have been reported dead, including four children. My consents to all the families and friends affected by this tracing.190 people were divorced and are receiving assistance. There... pic.twitter.com/T7kfLkggKx

"It was scary. I couldn't breathe, I tried to cover (my baby). I tried to cover it with this cloth so he could breathe," said Svitlana Kravchenko, 33, as quoted by Reuters.

In his post on Telegram, President Zelensky said more than 100 buildings had been damaged, including children's hospitals and maternity centers in Kyiv, child care centers, and business centers and homes.

"Russian terrorists must take responsibility for this," he wrote.

"Worries do not stop terror. Condolences are not weapons," he said.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's Interior Ministry said also damage was reported in the central cities of Kryvyi Rih and Dnipro as well as two cities in the east.

The government announced mourning days on Tuesday for one of the worst airstrikes in the war.

Separately, the Ukrainian air force said the country's air defenses managed to shoot down 30 of 38 missiles. The Ukrainian Security Service identified the missile as a Kh-101 cruise missile.

"We will repay these people, we will give a strong response from our side to Russia, of course. The question for our partners is: can they respond?" President Zelensky said during a speech at a press conference in Warsaw, with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said its forces were attacking the targets of the defense industry and flight bases.

"The allegations made by Kyiv officials about the intentional Russian missile attack against civilian targets are completely untrue," the ministry said, launching TASS.

"A number of published photos and videos reports from Kyiv make it clear that the damage was caused by Ukraine's falling air defense missile launched from missile systems stationed within the city limits," the statement said.

According to the ministry, the Russian Armed Forces carried out a high-precision attack on the location of Ukraine's defense industry and air base, in response to Kyiv's efforts to attack energy facilities within Russia. All targeted targets were hit.