Russian aerial bombs kill 13 in Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia

A Russian guided bomb attack on Wednesday killed at least 13 people and injured 32 others in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, according to reports from local authorities, who also warned that the casualty count could increase.

The head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, Ivan Fedorov, reported that the strikes, unleashed at around 4 p.m. local time on Jan. 8, targeted the city’s industrial infrastructure. The Insider was able to identify the location of the attack as the “Motor Sich” plant, one of the world's largest manufacturers of aircraft engines.

The bodies of those killed and injured were scattered along a road and nearby sidewalks close to damaged public transport vehicles.

Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office reported on Telegram that the strike caused damage to high-rise apartment buildings, an industrial site, and local infrastructure. Debris struck a tram and a minibus carrying passengers.

With rescue operations underway for several hours, the Telegram channel of the region’s State Emergency Service reported that the number of injured people had increased to 32.

“A fire in an administrative building with an area of ​​800 sq. m. has been extinguished. In total, 4 administrative buildings, 27 cars and a tram were damaged,» the agency added.

Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs later reported that the Russian army launched two strikes on Zaporizhzhia using FAB-500 aerial bombs equipped with UMPK guidance kits.

“The bombs detonated amid a crowd of people near the administrative area of an infrastructure facility and the roadway. The explosions ignited a building and vehicles. Police paramedics rescued five people,” the ministry said.

“There is nothing more cruel than launching aerial bombs on a city, knowing that ordinary civilians will suffer,” President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X, urging Ukraine's Western allies to step up pressure on Russia.

Russian forces have repeatedly attacked Zaporizhzhia — a city in southeast Ukraine with a pre-war population of over 700,000 — which remains under Ukrainian control. Moscow’s forces partially control the region, and claim to have annexed it, along with four others, including Crimea.

On Sept. 29, Russian forces carried out over ten strikes on the city using KAB guided bombs. The attacks injured nearly 20 people, caused destruction across three districts, and disrupted train services.

In December, a Russian missile strike on Zaporizhzhia resulted in the deaths of ten people and injuries to at least 22 others. That strike also hit a private medical clinic. “An office building has been destroyed, a medical center has been damaged, as well as ordinary city buildings,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported on Telegram at the time.

That same month, Russia targeted a busy intersection in Zaporizhzhia, with reports indicating nine confirmed fatalities. Acting Mayor Rehina Kharchenko confirmed that some victims burned alive in their vehicles during the attack.