KYIV: The southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia suffered from deadly missile attacks by Russia on Thursday. The attacks on the city came soon after Russia announced the formal seizure of a nuclear power plant in the nearby region.
The missile attacks which began early morning had targeted high-rise buildings as the citizens slept, stated the Ukrainian officials. The fatal act from Russia left one woman dead, and seven severely injured, including a 3-year-old girl , who was later hospitalized in an emergency. The Ukrainian authorities are currently in the progress of rescuing the citizens and leading them to safety.
 The attacks didn’t stop as by sunrise, more missile attacks were reported. The local residents near the city along the Dnipro river were advised by the officials to take shelter.
Zaporizhzhia lies in the vicinity of the war zone. The city is under Ukrainian control, although 75% of greater Zaporizhzhia has been under Russian occupation. The Zaporizhzhia is one of the four regions that have been annexed by Russia in the recent violation of international law, with Donetsk and Luhansk in the east and Kherson in the south being the other three regions.
Russia, a few days back, had signed a decree to federalize the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant(ZNPP), located about 120 kilometres (75 miles) from the city near the Russian-occupied territory alongside the Dnipro River.
Zaporizhzhia, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, has been running under Russian control since the beginning of the invasion on February 24. However, the plant continues to be operated by Ukrainian researchers and technicians under Russian command and supervision.Â
The nuclear facility has been under consistent scrutiny by international agencies, i.e. International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA), after shelling incidents were reported near the plant that prompted security concerns.
