11 wounded in southern Ukraine in Russian strikes

KIEV

At least 11 people were wounded on Sunday in a series of Russian strikes on Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine, emergency services announced.

The regional capital was hit by several "massive aerial strikes" at dawn, Ukrainian emergency services said in a statement.

"A building and six houses in different city neighbourhoods suffered a lot of destruction," said the statement, adding that 42 members of the emergency services were helping those potentially trapped under the rubble.

"According to preliminary information, the number of wounded people has risen to 11," said the emergency services, adding that rescue operations had ended.

A woman dragged from the rubble was taken to hospital.

Regional governor Ivan Fedorov had earlier said that six people were wounded.

He said that Zaporizhzhia was hit by 10 Russian strikes that destroyed "one multi-story building and some houses."

Andriy Yermak, the head of the office of the president, hit out in a social media post at an attempt to "terrorize" the civilian population.

Yermak also reiterated his called on Western allies to supply more weapons to intercept Russian missiles and apply more economic sanctions against Moscow.

Russia annexed the Zaporizhzhia region in 2022, but the main city of the same name remains under Kiev's control.

The latest attacks came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Moscow for "waging war on hospitals" as Russian strikes on a hospital in the border city of Sumy killed 10 people.

Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klymenko wrote on Telegram that the first strike "killed one person" and damaged several floors of the hospital.

"During the evacuation of patients, the enemy struck again," he added.

Sumy lies just across the border from Russia's Kursk region, where Kiev launched a surprise offensive on Aug. 6, aimed in part at creating a "buffer zone" inside Russia.

"Russia hit one of the city's hospitals with Shahed drones," Zelensky wrote on Telegram.

The attack hit the St Panteleimon Clinical Hospital near the city center, officials said, with a nurse among the dead.

"Everyone in the world who speaks about this war must pay attention to what Russia is targeting. They are waging war on hospitals, civilian facilities and people's lives," the president said.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said the attack was "more evidence of Russia's war crimes."

Meanwhile, Russia downed 125 Ukrainian drones over its territory overnight, the Defense Ministry said on Sunday, with regional governors reporting some damage but no casualties from the attack.

"125 Ukrainian fixed-wing UAVs were destroyed and intercepted by air defense systems on duty," the ministry said on Telegram.

Sixty-seven were destroyed over Volgograd region in southern Russia, where Governor Andrey Bocharov said falling debris from the drones sparked grass fires but no casualties or damage.

Another 17 were downed over Belgorod region and 17 over Voronezh region, where Governor Aleksandr Gusev said several fell on Voronezh city and its suburbs causing fires in two residential buildings but no casualties.