A Russian attack on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia killed at least 25 people and injured another 28, officials say.
Oleksandr Starukh, the regional governor of Zaporizhzhia, announced the sad news in a statement on Friday. He claimed that Russian troops targeted a humanitarian convoy bound for an area occupied by Russia.
Starukh posted photos of bodies lying on the ground and vehicles destroyed in the aftermath of the attack, which was not immediately recognized by Russia.
The governor said the people in the convoy went to rescue their relatives from the Russian-occupied territory. Moscow plans to officially annex four regions of Ukraine on Friday after holding a controversial referendum in the disputed areas.
RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN TO ANNEX 4 UKRAINIAN REGIONS AT FRIDAY CEREMONY
A local resident observes a crater after a missile attack in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, on September 29, 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
(ANATOLII STEPANOV / AFP via Getty Images)
The “sham referendum”, conducted by Russian delegates earlier this month, would ask Ukrainians in the disputed territory if they would like to join Russia. Voting took place in the Luhansk and Kherson regions, as well as the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions, which are partially controlled by Russia.
After five days of voting, officials nominated by Russia in Ukraine said they obtained 98% of civilian support in Luhansk and 99% in Donetsk, as well as 93% in Zaporizhzhia and 87% in Kherson.
DECADES OF PREJUDICE OF CREMLIN IN DAGESTAN FEEDING THE PROTESTS IN THE WRITING DECREE OF PUTIN
Zaporizhzhia RMA chief Oleksandr Starukh speaks to reporters after a Russian missile attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine on September 22, 2022.
(Dmytro Smoliyenko / Ukrinform / Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Moscow-based officials from all four regions say the votes show support for Russia’s illegal seizure of Ukrainian territory. Russia has already held a similar referendum in Crimea and used the results to annex the peninsula in 2014.
Illegal referendums, which have been repeatedly criticized by Western leaders, should intensify the Russian-Ukrainian war.
People walk past a “Forever with Russia” billboard in Luhansk, in the Russian-backed separatist-controlled Luhansk People’s Republic of eastern Ukraine, Tuesday, September 27, 2022.
(Photo AP)
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The four territories are expected to be officially annexed to Russia during a ceremony in Moscow on Friday. Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to give a speech in the Kremlin afterwards.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
