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Russian forces staged a mass drone attack on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia late on Tuesday, triggering fires, injuring 12 people and badly damaging buildings and vehicles, the regional governor said.
Ivan Fedorov, posting on the Telegram messaging app, said the attack had smashed cars, destroyed shops and damaged seven apartment blocks. He said 12 people were being treated in hospital.
"A rescue operation is currently underway at 12 locations," Fedorov said in a video posted online. "The maximum number of units from the State Emergency Services, national police and our medical teams has been deployed."
A burned-out car and building are seen in Zaporizhzhia, in the aftermath of Tuesday's mass drone attack. (Darya Nazarova/AFP/Getty Images)Pictures posted online showed firefighters battling blazes at high-rise apartment buildings and gutted vehicles on city streets.
Emergency services, writing on Telegram, said fires were being brought under control and rescue operations were proceeding.
Russian forces occupy large swathes of territory in the Zaporizhzhia region and have been making recent gains, though the city of the same name remains under Ukrainian control.
The Russia-appointed head of the Zaporizhzhia region held by Russia, Yevgeny Belitsky, said Ukrainian forces had attacked power grid infrastructure in Russian-controlled areas.
Belitsky, writing on Telegram, said power had been cut to 40,000 customers in Russian-controlled towns in the region.
WATCH | U.S. says a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is close:U.S. President Donald Trump says that he believes the peace framework he is backing will yield a deal between Russia and Ukraine, while European officials say they want the U.S. to maintain pressure on Russia as hurdles remain.Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which has left the neighbouring nations in a continuing state of all-out war.
With the widespread use of drones by Ukraine and Russia during the conflict, both sides have had to adapt to the ever-changing battlefield environment and evolving threats posed by hostile drones.