Zaporizhzhia strikes (2022–present)

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia and the surrounding region became the target of repeated Russian shelling and bombing (including cruise missiles, S-300 missiles and Shahed-136 kamikaze drones) as part of the southern Ukraine offensive from 27 February 2022 onwards. Thirty to forty percent of the infrastructure in the city has been destroyed.[as of?]

Zaporizhzhia strikes
Part of the Southern Ukraine campaign of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Date24 February 2022 (2022-02-24) – present
(2 years, 8 months and 2 weeks)
Location
Status Ongoing
Belligerents
Russia Russia Ukraine Ukraine
Units involved
 Russian Armed Forces  Armed Forces of Ukraine
Casualties and losses
Unknown Unknown
At least 248 civilians wounded and 76 killed.

Background

edit

Ukraine was invaded by the Russian armed forces on 24 February 2022 with the Russian 22nd Army Corps advancing north from Crimea towards the city of Zaporizhzhia, which holds a strategic position along the Dnieper River in Central Ukraine, and is the administrative centre of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast. By 26 February, Russian forces began to approach the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, with fighting between Ukrainian and Russian troops being reported on the southern outskirts of the city the following day.[1][2] No casualties were reported in the aftermath of the confrontation.[3] Later that evening, the Russians began shelling the city for the first time since the start of the war.[4]

On 24 February Russia shelled Zaporizhzhia airport. On February 26, it destroyed the trolleybus depot, and on February 27, battles were sharpened on the southern outskirts of the city; there were no victims.[citation needed]

Timeline

edit

2022

edit

March

edit

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was subjected to Russian shelling during the night of 3 March, resulting in a fire at the plant which was brought under control by the next morning.[5][6][7] That same day the plant fell under control of the Russian forces following the Battle of Enerhodar.[8][9][10][11]

 
View from the platform of the Zaporizhzhia-2 railway station.

Around 5am on 16 March the Zaporizhzhia-2 railway station (Запоріжжя II [uk]) was targeted by a Russian rocket attack, significantly damaging the tracks and overhead lines, as well as blowing out the building's windows. The trains which were present at the station at the time also sustained broken windows. No one was injured or killed in the attack, and all train traffic was subsequently handled by Zaporizhzhia-1 railway station.[12] According to governor Oleksandr Starukh, this was the first time a civilian target had been attacked in the city of Zaporizhzhia, where thousands of refugees from Mariupol were taking shelter.[13]

April

edit

Residents reported feeling and hearing explosions in various parts of the city on 7 April. These explosions had been the result of the Zaporizhzhia air defense forces successfully shooting down three Russian cruise missiles, preventing any potential ground casualties and/or injuries.[14]

On 21 April, two Russian cruise missiles were fired towards Zaporizhzhia. The first missile came down near the island of Khortytsia in the vicinity of the Preobrazhensky Bridges (Preobrazhensky Bridge) at 12.45pm. At that time, a passenger train serving the line between Zaporizhzhia and Lviv was traveling on the tracks of the bridge and was caught in the blast. The windows of four carriages were blown out as a result of the explosion's shock wave. The second missile also came down near Khortytsia at 1.30pm, resulting in damage to a Sanatorium (Sanatoriy-Profilaktoriy Ztr) building on the island. The attacks resulted in eight injuries, all of whom were civilians.[15]

 
Preobrazhensky Bridges over the Dnieper River.

In the morning of 26 April, two Russian 3M-54 Kalibr guided missiles hit the city while a third missile exploded mid-air. The missile strike caused damage to a factory which had been out of operation and killed one civilian while injuring three others.[16][17] Two days later on the morning of 28 April, another missile strike was conducted on the city by a Kh-55 air-to-surface missile. The strike destroyed two private residences resulting in three casualties.[18]On April 28, Russian troops launched air strikes on Zaporizhzhia.

At 11pm on 12 May, a Russian cruise missile hit the island of Khortytsia, causing a small fire at the impact site. No infrastructure damage or casualties were reported.[19]

Four more cruise missiles were launched at Zaporizhzhia on 25 May. While one missile was shot down by the city's air defences, the other three struck civilian sites in the Shevchenkivskyi district (Shevchenkivskyi District, Zaporizhzhia) and the shopping center in the Oleksandrivskyi district (Oleksandrivskyi District, Zaporizhzhia), resulting in one civilian death and 3 wounded.[20]

July

edit

On 13 July, two Russian cruise missiles hit a factory in the Dnipro district (Dniprovskyi District, Zaporizhzhia) of the city, wounding 14 civilians.[21][22]

August

edit

On 6 August, explosions were reported near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant from apparent shelling. A high-voltage power line transformer was damaged in the explosion, resulting in the automatic shutdown of reactor number 3 and the start-up of its emergency generators.[23]

One civilian was killed and two others injured when five Russian shells were fired at Zaporizhzhia at 7.15pm on 12 August. Further city infrastructure in the Shevchenkivskyi district was also damaged in the shelling.[24] On August 29, 40 private houses and 9 high-rise buildings were destroyed in Zaporizhzhia, the whole month itself - was under fire.[citation needed]

September

edit
 
Damaged vehicles alongside the victims of the missile strike of 30 September.

During the night of 19 September, Zaporizhzhia was hit by eight Russian rockets in its industrial and residential areas. Followed by another rocket attack in the morning, striking the regional center near the Dnieper river.[25] Two days later the city was again hit by two Russian rockets during the night, followed by another five rockets attacks in the daytime. The regional center was hit an additional two times while other infrastructure and residential houses were damaged, two of the projectiles landed in a field on the outskirts of the city. The attack wounded three civilians.[26] The following day on 22 September, nine more rockets were fired at the city. One of the projectiles hit a hotel in the city's central park, killing one civilian and injuring five others. An electrical substation and several high-rise residential buildings were also damaged. Later that same day, ten more rockets struck the city and damaged about a dozen private homes.[27] Further shelling on the morning of 24 September saw five projectiles hit the city, causing damage to residential buildings as well as injuring 9 civilians while killing one.[28]

On the morning of 27 September, Zaporizhzhia was struck by ten S-300 missiles. Besides damaging infrastructure, the attack also damaged power lines resulting in a fire.[29]

A civilian humanitarian convoy was hit by several Russian S-300 missiles on 30 September, killing 32 civilians while wounding around 90 others.[30][31][32]

October

edit

At 5.08am on 6 October, seven Russian rockets were fired towards the city center of Zaporizhzhia. Several residential buildings were destroyed and fires broke out due to the attack, killing 17 civilians and injuring 12 more.[33][34][35]

 
Houses after the shelling of 6 October.

Zaporizhzhia was attacked once more during the night of 7 October, but this time by Iranian Shahed-136 kamikaze drones used by the Russian forces. The attack resulted in the deaths of 12 civilians with a further 13 injured and 15 missing.[36][37][38][39] That same day around 10am, another Russian attack struck the city with one of the rockets landing in the courtyard of a high-rise building. The attack damaged the building and injured one civilian.[40]

Around 3am on 9 October, 12 Russian tactical missiles were launched against civilian infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia. Most missiles hit both high-rise buildings and residential houses, with a nine-story building being partially destroyed after the attack. A further five high-rise buildings, 20 residential houses and four schools were damaged alongside 20 cars. A total of 13 civilians were killed in the attack, while 89 more were injured.[41]

 
Damage to a residential building in Zaporizhzhia following the airstrike of 9 October.
 
A residential building after the airstrike of 10 October

The following day at 1.45am, about seven Russian S-300 anti-aircraft missiles struck the city resulting in the deaths of eight civilians.[42][43]

Russian forces continuously targeted Zaporizhzhia with about 19 S-300 missiles and four Shahed-136 kamikaze drones during the nights from 11 to 15 October. Many residential buildings were damaged alongside other city infrastructure and several cars. The human cost of the continuous attacks came down to one civilian casualty and three more wounded.[44][45][46][47]

Another string of attacks occurred during the nights from 17 to 19 October, seeing at least seven S-300 missiles hitting both civilian and industrial infrastructure and several kamikaze drones hitting the regional center. No deaths or injuries were reported.[48][49][50] Two days later on 21 October at around 8.30am, another six Russian S-300 missiles targeted the city, damaging more residential buildings as well as a school. Five civilians received injuries in the attack.[51][52]

On 31 October around 8am, several rockets were launched from a Russian aircraft, followed by another attack by Russian S-300 missiles at 10am. The city's infrastructure again received damage, including damage to several high-rise buildings, a hospital, a school and a cultural center. As a result of the shelling, many of the city's residents were left without electricity or running water.[53][54]

November

edit

On 6 November around 12.34am, two S-300 missiles were fired at the city's regional center. One of the missiles fell in a residential quarter, damaging private residences as well as two cars, and causing a fire. The other exploded in a privately owned field. One person was killed by the shelling.[55]

On 18 November at 10.35pm, five S-300 missiles were launched at Zaporizhzhia. The attack damaged a factory and several high-rise buildings, killing one person.[56] In the aftermath of the attack, over 120 residential buildings were left without heating. The heating issue was resolved in the stricken high-rise buildings by the following day.[57]

 
Residential building in Zaporizhzhia after the attack on 18 October 2023

2023

edit

March

edit

On 22 March Zaporizhzhia was shelled by Russian troops. 2 houses were destroyed, 1 person was killed.[citation needed]

October

edit

On 18 October Russian missile attack partially destroyed a residential building in Zaporizhzhia. Five people were killed and five others were injured.[58]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Ukraine official says Russian troops approaching Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant". National Post. 26 February 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  2. ^ "The Russians paused the invasion, but aren't losing". Australian Financial Review. 28 February 2022. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  3. ^ Свобода, Радіо (27 February 2022). "Техніка росіян зайшла до Бердянська, в Запоріжжі зброю дають усім готовим захищати обласний центр". Радіо Свобода (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  4. ^ "Мешканців Запоріжжя просять не покидати укриття: Обстрілюють аеродром — новини Запоріжжя". www.depo.ua (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  5. ^ "UPDATE 1-Ukraine nuclear power plant Zaporizhzhia on fire, town mayor says". finance.yahoo.com. 4 March 2022. Archived from the original on 4 March 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  6. ^ "На підступах до Запорізької АЕС — бої, є постраждалі" [On the approaches to the Zaporizhzhia NPP – fighting, there are victims]. Українська правда (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 4 March 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  7. ^ Brumfiel, Geoff (3 March 2022). "A contested Ukrainian nuclear plant is under attack by Russian forces". NPR. Archived from the original on 4 March 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  8. ^ Polityuk, Pavel; Vasovic, Aleksandar; Irish, John (4 March 2022). "Russian forces seize huge Ukrainian nuclear plant, fire extinguished". Reuters. Archived from the original on 4 March 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  9. ^ Daniel Ten Kate, David Stringer (4 March 2022). "Russian Forces Occupy Site of Nuclear Plant as Fire Contained". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 4 March 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  10. ^ Boynton, Sean (4 March 2022). "Russian troops capture Europe's largest power plant in Ukraine after intense battle". Global News. Archived from the original on 4 March 2022.
  11. ^ "Russia Seizes Ukraine Nuclear Plant Hours After Attack: 10 Points". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  12. ^ "На залізничному вокзалі Запоріжжя ІІ пролунав вибух". zabor.zp.ua. 16 March 2022.
  13. ^ "Train station targeted in Ukraine refugee hub near Mariupol". Times of Malta. Agence France-Presse. 16 March 2022. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  14. ^ "Над Запоріжжям сили ППО збили три крилаті ракети". Слово і Діло. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  15. ^ Цензор.НЕТ (21 April 2022). "Окупанти вдарили ракетами по острову Хортиця, — Запорізька ОВА. ФОТО". Цензор.НЕТ (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  16. ^ Суспільне (26 April 2022). "У Запоріжжі ракети влучили в одне з підприємств міста. Що відомо". Суспільне | Новини (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 27 April 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  17. ^ "У Запоріжжі росіяни замість "партії боєприпасів" розгромили ракетами непрацюючий завод". www.ukrinform.ua (in Ukrainian). 27 April 2022. Archived from the original on 27 April 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  18. ^ "Ворог завдав авіаудару по Запоріжжю: є постраждалі та руйнування, фото". Апостроф (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 28 April 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  19. ^ "Invaders fire missiles on Zaporizhzhia, Sumy region at night". 13 May 2022.
  20. ^ "Окупанти атакували Запоріжжя". Актуально. 25 May 2022. "Окупанти атакували Запоріжжя: одна людина загинула | Актуально". 25 May 2022. Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  21. ^ "В Запоріжжі російські військові вдарили ракетами по підприємству (ФОТО)". Запорожский телеканал ALEX.UA (in Russian). Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  22. ^ "Офіс Генерального прокурора". Telegram. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  23. ^ "Fears for nuclear safety after shelling at Ukrainian power plant". cnn.com. 6 August 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  24. ^ "Ракетний удар по Запоріжжю: одна людина загинула, ще двоє - отримали травми". ukrinform.ua. 12 August 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  25. ^ "Окупанти вранці знову вдарили по Запоріжжю: в ОВА розповіли про наслідки". РБК-Украина (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  26. ^ "Окупанти вранці знову вдарили по Запоріжжю: в ОВА розповіли про наслідки". РБК-Украина (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  27. ^ "Вторгнення Росії в Україну: ситуація на Запоріжжі. День 211-й". suspilne.media (in Ukrainian). 22 September 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  28. ^ "Внаслідок ворожого обстрілу згорів багатоквартирний будинок". t.me (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  29. ^ "Окупанти завдали ракетні удари по Запоріжжю". РБК-Украина (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  30. ^ "Кількість жертв обстрілу автоколони у Запоріжжі зросла до 31". 24 канал. 1 October 2022.
  31. ^ Назарова, Євгенія (30 September 2022). "Ракетний терор проти Запоріжжя: хронологія і кількість жертв". Радіо Свобода.
  32. ^ Свобода, Радіо (8 October 2022). "Обстріл колони під Запоріжжям: ще один поранений помер у лікарні – Старух". Радіо Свобода. Радіо «Свобода». Archived from the original on 9 October 2022.
  33. ^ "7 ракетних ударів по Запоріжжю: рятувальнии показали жахливі фото розгромлених житлових будинків". tsn.ua. 6 October 2022.
  34. ^ "Кількість загиблих у результаті ракетного удару по будинкам у центрі Запоріжжя збільшилася до 17 людей". 1news.zp.ua. 8 October 2022. Archived from the original on 9 October 2022.
  35. ^ Свобода, Радіо (8 October 2022). "Число загиблих від ракетних ударів по Запоріжжю 6 жовтня зросло до 17 – ДСНС". Радіо Свобода.
  36. ^ "Окупанти вперше атакували Запоріжжя дронами-камікадзе: є постраждалий (відео)". zabor.zp.ua. 7 October 2022.
  37. ^ "Війська РФ вранці атакували Запоріжжя дронами-камікадзе. Кількість жертв учорашніх обстрілів зросла до 11". radiosvoboda.org. 7 October 2022.
  38. ^ "Ракетний удар по багатоповерхівках у Запоріжжі: кількість жертв зросла до 11". rbc.ua. 7 October 2022.
  39. ^ "Кількість загиблих внаслідок удару по центру Запоріжжя збільшилася до 12 людей — Нацполіція (фото)". zabor.zp.ua. 7 October 2022.
  40. ^ "Рашисти завдали черговий ракетний удар по Запоріжжю: пошкоджена багатоповерхівка, є постраждалий (фото, відео)". 1news.zp.ua. 7 October 2022.
  41. ^ "Зруйновано 5 будинків, 17 загиблих: страшні наслідки нічної атаки росії на Запоріжжя". 24tv.ua. 9 October 2022.
  42. ^ "Російські терористи знову вдарили по Запоріжжю: зруйновано під'їзд багатоповерхівки у центрі міста (фото, відео)". 1news.zp.ua. 10 October 2022.
  43. ^ Суспільне (10 October 2022). "Російські військові знову поцілили ракетами в цивільну інфраструктуру Запоріжжя. Зруйнований багатоповерховий будинок (оновлено)". Суспільне | Новини.
  44. ^ "Рашисти завдали ракетний удар по Запоріжжю: пошкоджено об'єкти інфраструктури, заклад освіти, медзаклад та будинки — є постраждалий (фото)". 1news.zp.ua. 11 October 2022.
  45. ^ "Вночі загарбники обстріляли Запоріжжя та передмістя: було випущено близько 7 ракет С-300 (фото, відео)". zabor.zp.ua. 12 October 2022.
  46. ^ "Наслідки рашистського ракетного обстрілу міста". 14 October 2022.
  47. ^ "Вночі рашисти вдарили по Запоріжжю ракетами та дронами-камікадзе: які наслідки атаки (фото, відео)". 1news.zp.ua. 15 October 2022.
  48. ^ "Окупанти обстріляли Запоріжжя та область установками С-300, артилерією та РСЗВ (фото)". zabor.zp.ua. 18 October 2022.
  49. ^ "Вночі окупанти атакували Запоріжжя іранськими дронами-камікадзе, — Старух (фото, відео)". zabor.zp.ua. 18 October 2022.
  50. ^ "Окупанти вночі завдали удару по селищу під Запоріжжям (фото, відео)". zabor.zp.ua. 19 October 2022.
  51. ^ "РФ атакувала Запоріжжя: з'явилися перші подробиці (фото, відео)". akzent.zp.ua. 21 October 2022. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022.
  52. ^ "Ракетна атака по Запоріжжю: пошкоджено житловий будинок і школу, 5 людей поранені". hromadske.ua. 21 October 2022.
  53. ^ "Внаслідок ранкових ракетних ударів по Запоріжжю є пошкодження житлової та соціальної інфраструктури". 1news.zp.ua. 31 October 2022.
  54. ^ "Наслідки ворожих атак на Запоріжжя: багато мешканців міста залишилися без світла, а подекуди й без води". zabor.zp.ua. 31 October 2022.
  55. ^ "Рашисти знову поцілили в житловий квартал у Запоріжжі: загинула людина (фото)". actual.today. 6 November 2022.
  56. ^ "Правоохоронці показали наслідки чергової ракетної атаки по Запоріжжю: зруйноване підприємство (фото)". 1news.zp.ua. 19 November 2022.
  57. ^ "Нічний обстріл Запоріжжя: частина жителів міста залишилась без опалення". zabor.zp.ua. 19 November 2022.
  58. ^ "В Запорожье ракета попала в пятиэтажный жилой дом. Пять человек погибли". Meduza. 2023-10-18.

47°51′0″N 35°7′3″E / 47.85000°N 35.11750°E / 47.85000; 35.11750