(ZAPORIZHZHIA, ZAPORIZHZHIA OBLAST) – Russian forces launched another drone attack on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia overnight on March 16, killing and injuring civilians, damaging residential buildings and leaving thousands without electricity, Ukrainian officials said.
Regional authorities reported that several fires broke out following the strike. Emergency services were deployed to the affected areas as rescue teams searched damaged buildings and provided assistance to residents.
According to the Zaporizhzhia regional administration, around 7,500 people were left without electricity after the attack.
Local officials also said that Russian occupying forces carried out a total of 710 strikes across 34 settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region within a single day, highlighting the intensity of continued Russian attacks on civilian areas and infrastructure.
Witnesses described multiple explosions during the attack. One local resident said the first strike occurred while emergency responders were already nearby.
“The first impact happened while I was there. Then we ran here with the police and there was a second explosion,” the witness said.
The resident said another drone then struck the same location.
“There was another drone that hit exactly this place where the earlier strike had occurred,” the witness added.
Emergency responders provided assistance to several injured residents at the scene.
“I had one elderly woman with a cut wound on her right arm. I gave first aid and handed her over to the doctors,” the witness said, adding that the woman was later taken to hospital by ambulance.
The witness said the woman was receiving treatment and was reported to be in stable condition.
Ukrainian authorities say repeated drone and missile attacks by Russian forces continue to damage civilian infrastructure and residential areas across the country.
The Zaporizhzhia region remains one of the areas most frequently targeted by Russian attacks.
