At least 16 people were killed and 35 others wounded overnight after a Russian airstrike hit a penitentiary facility in the Zaporizhzhia region of southeastern Ukraine, according to a statement by Ivan Fedorov, head of the region’s Military Administration, shared on Telegram and reported by Ukrainska Pravda.
“During the night, the enemy bombarded the Zaporizhzhia region eight times, including with FAB guided aerial bombs. They also struck the prison colony: 16 people died and 35 were injured,” Fedorov confirmed, adding that the prison building was destroyed in the attack and several nearby residential houses were damaged.
Fedorov did not specify how many of the victims were prisoners or prison staff.
In total, Ukrainian authorities reported that Russian forces launched 672 attacks across 14 settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region in the past 24 hours, marking one of the heaviest bombardments in recent weeks.
This incident comes amid renewed Russian offensives targeting critical infrastructure and civilian areas, escalating concerns about war crimes and further humanitarian crises in occupied and contested territories.
Ukrainian officials continue to urge the international community to provide increased air defense support and hold Russia accountable for attacks on civilian facilities.
