Zelensky adviser offers resignation after suggesting Russian missile that killed 44 was shot down by Ukraine

‘I offer my sincere apologies to the victims and their relatives... and everyone who was deeply hurt by my prematurely erroneous version of the reason for the Russian missile strike,’ official says

Rescuers work around the apartment building destroyed by a Russian missile strike (AFP via Getty Images)

An adviser to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has tendered his resignation after causing a public outcry by suggesting a Russian missile that killed at least 44 people in the city of Dnipro had been shot down by Ukraine.

Hours after the missile strike, Oleksiy Arestovych, who appears regularly on YouTube to provide updates on the war, initially said it appeared that the Russian missile had fallen on the building after being shot down by Ukrainian air defences.

The comment, which deviated from the official Ukrainian account, caused widespread anger in Ukraine. It was also noticed by Russian authorities who appeared to allude to him when they blamed Kyiv for the strike.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian attacks "do not strike residential buildings" and suggested the strike was the result of Ukrainian air defences, a conclusion he said had also been reached by "some representatives of the Ukrainian side."

Mr Arestovych later rowed back on his comments, citing fatigue, but also said he had made clear that he had been voicing only a preliminary theory.

On Tuesday morning, Mr Arestovych posted a photograph of a letter tendering his resignation and acknowledged making a "fundamental error."

"I offer my sincere apologies to the victims and their relatives, the residents of Dnipro and everyone who was deeply hurt by my prematurely erroneous version of the reason for the Russian missile striking a residential building," he wrote.

Dnipro, a city of almost 1 million people, serves as a supply hub for Ukrainian forces in the eastern Donbas region. It has come under repeated bombardment from Russian missiles.

Authorities called an end to the search for survivors in the ruins of the apartment building destroyed during the Russian missile attack on Saturday. In addition to the 44 dead. Seventy-nine people were wounded and 39 rescued from the rubble. Residents left flowers and cuddly toys at a makeshift memorial near the apartment complex.

Reuters