Two civilians killed after missiles pound buildings in Zaporizhzhia as Russia denies blame

Rescue operation is underway to pull out missing people from the rubble

At least two civilians were killed and several injured after missiles pounded Zaporizhzhia city, destroying several buildings in the area as the Russia-Ukraine conflict continued for 20 months.

Russian and Ukrainian forces traded blame for the series of explosions that rang in the southeast Ukrainian city in the early morning of Wednesday.

Ukrainian secretary of the Zaporizhzhia city council said a search and rescue operation was underway at the site after the Russian airstrikes destroyed buildings.

"At this time, it is known that two people were killed and four were injured. Three more people are considered missing," Anatoliy Kurtiev said.

Yuriy Malashko, governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, said that eight apartment buildings were damaged in what he also said was a Russian missile attack.

Pictures of a five-storey building destroyed in the attack showed windows blown out and the entrance with rubble scattered around it.

A Moscow-installed official in the Russia-controlled parts of Zaporizhzhia blamed the strikes on Ukrainian forces.

Vladimir Rogov, the leader of the “We Are Together With Russia” pro-Kremlin collaborationist organisation that operates in Russia-held parts of Zaporizhzhia oblast, called it a Ukrainian blunder.

“According to preliminary information, one of the explosions was caused by a [missile that] hit an apartment building as a result of criminal deeds by clumsy air defense troops of the Ukrainian armed forces," Mr Rogov wrote on Telegram.

The Ukrainian governor of the city said that it was attacked at least six times between 1.30am to 1.48am local time.

The city of Zaporizhzhia is the administrative centre of the broader Zaporizhzhia region in southeast Ukraine, which is now partially controlled by Russia.

Ongoing clashes persist along the front lines, particularly affecting the Ukrainian-held towns of Avdiivka, Kupyansk, and Lyman, which have endured sustained heavy bombardment from Russian forces in recent days.

In the town of Avdiivka in the east where Russia launched one of the largest assaults last week since the war began Russian forces continued push to capture the key region serving as the crucial gateway to Moscow-controlled Donetsk.

File A Ukrainian soldier in his position in Avdiivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine (AP)

President Vladimir Putin, who is travelling to China to meet Xi Jinping, said on Sunday that his forces have made gains in their offensive, including in Avdiivka. But Kyiv said enemy forces suffered heavy forces and they continued to hold ground in Avdiivka.

Oleksandr Shtupun, the spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern group of forces, told national television that Russia that Ukrainian forces have repelled numerous attacks, including 10 in the past 24 hours.

Mr Shtupun also reported “partial success” in Ukrainian forces’ southward advance toward the Sea of Azov, specifically to the west of Verbove, among the cluster of villages they are attempting to seize.

Meanwhile, in Slovyansk, a Russian attack has led to the destruction of a dormitory building, with two individuals believed to be trapped beneath the rubble, as reported by Ukraine’s emergency services.

In Odesa, Russian drones that were shot down have caused damage to a yacht club and several yachts, though no casualties have been reported.

Ukraine continues its counter-offensive to reclaim territory occupied by Russia in the eastern and southern regions, albeit with slow progress, marked by frequent air attacks on Russian positions in a bid to undermine Moscow’s war effort.