On a recent Thursday evening, a tragic incident unfolded in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, as a Russian missile struck a hotel, resulting in one fatality and 16 people sustaining injuries, according to official sources. The attack took place at 7:20 p.m. local time (1620 GMT) and involved an Iskander missile.
Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed his concern over the ongoing plight of Zaporizhzhia, which has been subjected to frequent shelling from Russia. Zelenskiy conveyed, “Zaporizhzhia. The city suffers daily from Russian shelling. A fire broke out in a civilian building after the occupiers hit it with a missile.”
Yuriy Malashko, the Governor of Zaporizhzhia, revealed that among the 16 individuals injured, four were children. Visual documentation shared by officials portrayed the aftermath of the strike, including a sizable crater, damaged vehicles, and a severely impacted four-story building with a prominent hotel sign. The building in question, identified as the Reikartz Hotel, is situated in the city center along the Dnipro River and has historically housed United Nations staff during their assignments in the region.
Denise Brown, the humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, expressed deep shock over the incident, noting that the targeted hotel had been a frequent residence for United Nations personnel and colleagues from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working to assist those affected by the ongoing conflict.
Disturbingly, this marked the second missile strike on Zaporizhzhia within two consecutive days. A previous attack, which occurred a day prior, claimed the lives of two young women and a man, leaving nine other individuals wounded.
Maria Starkova in Lviv contributed to this report, with writing by Maria Tsvetkova in New York. The editing was handled by Leslie Adler, Cynthia Osterman, and Chris Reese.