Dnipro devastated by one of Russia’s deadliest attacks

The death toll from an alleged Russian missile attack in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro has risen to 35, an official says.

Rescuers searched for more victims in the rubble of an apartment building that was hit, Governor Valentyn Reznichenko said on Monday.

At least 75 people were wounded and 35 others are missing after Saturday’s strike.

About 1,700 people lived in the multistorey building. Residents said there were no military facilities at the site.

If the death toll is confirmed, it would mark the deadliest attack in one place since a September 30 strike in Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region, according to the Associated Press-Frontline War Crimes Watch project.

The attack appears to have been part of a barrage of Russian cruise missile strikes across Ukraine.

The Kremlin on Monday denied responsibility for the attack.

“The Russian armed forces do not strike residential buildings or social infrastructure, they strike military targets,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, before referring to the “conclusion of some representatives of the Ukrainian side” that the strike could have been caused by air defence.

Meanwhile, fierce fighting raged in the eastern province of Donetsk, where the Russian military says it has control of the salt-mining town of Soledar but Ukraine asserts that its troops are still fighting.

If Russian forces have won full control of Soledar, it would allow them to inch closer to the city of Bakhmut. The battle for Bakhmut has raged for months and caused substantial casualties on both sides.

With the grinding war nearing the 11-month mark, the UK government announced it would deliver tanks to Ukraine, its first donation of such heavy weaponry. Although the pledge of 14 Challenger 2 tanks appeared modest, Ukrainian officials expect it will encourage other Western nations to supply more tanks.