Russia launching
another round of deadly strikes
across Ukraine,
killing at least nine
people into Kyiv region.
Another in Zaporizhzhia,
this is according to officials there,
a top Ukrainian
general says
Russian forces
have been battered
so badly, fighting for Bakhmut
that Ukrainian troops in Kiev
will be able to go on a counter
offensive in that eastern city.
What he says very soon.
CNN correspondent
David McKenzie joins us now
live from Odessa.
David, what's the latest
John and Erica,
that's an interesting statement from that
very senior official or general
from the Ukrainian military
saying that in Bakhmut,
in the eastern parts of this conflict,
after many, many months of fierce
fighting, his estimation is that
Ukrainians
are depleting
the Russian forces, mostly
those Wagner mercenary groups,
very severely,
and that it may lead to depression
such that
they can mount a counteroffensive.
I have to say, it's impossible
to very really verify that accurately.
But there is a sense
in the last few days that Ukrainians,
they are making some ground
though
they do only control a limited part
of that
heavily destroyed city
that's been under contestation
for many, many, many months.
And you've had a very tragic
raise in the death toll
from those drone strikes in Kiev.
Those showerhead,
Iranian drones striking civilian areas
and also in up
with a missile strike,
a dramatic and tragic
strike on an apartment
building, a nine storey, a building
partially destroyed.
Miraculously, it seems at this point
only one dead,
many injured, though, John.
And it comes as President
Zelensky has been on this tour
over the last few days
to frontline regions.
He was in the east
and then in the northeast,
and now he's close to where I am
to the front lines,
inspecting damage
from previous engagements and areas
that Ukraine took back months ago.
You do get a sense that everyone's
wondering and waiting to see
if that counteroffensive
does in fact, begin soon. John, Erica.
Yeah, exactly.
David McKenzie,
appreciate the reporting this morning.
Thank you.
A senior
Ukrainian official
is accusing
Russia of a deliberate strike
on civilians
after a missile
slammed into residential buildings
in Africa.
The disturbing moment
was caught on camera.
Ukraine says
this was one of six
missiles fired at the city on Wednesday.
They say one person was killed
and dozens injured in those attacks
while nine others were killed in strikes
on the Kiev region.
Ukraine's president is promising
a response to what he calls
Russian savagery within his class past.
And joining me now
to talk about this,
this was
a callous attack on civilian life.
What more
have we been learning about the after
a month of these attacks,
not just in that region, of course,
but in key for the region as well?
Yeah, Wednesday was a pretty deadly day
for civilians overall.
That attack in
both in both cases in the region
and as a result of the rescue efforts
have now finished.
We're hearing as a Parisian,
according to the
emergency services,
they are quoting the national police
as saying that they believe this was
from this much rocket launcher system.
That's a multiple launch rocket system
that Russia uses
that that was responsible
for those six missiles
that were levied at the city
of Zephyr region.
The death toll
that stands at one 32 injured,
including three children
over in the Kiev region.
That was a drone strike.
This is part of a barrage
of drones that were
that were launched
in Ukraine overnight
Tuesday into Wednesday.
Five of them
evaded air defenses
and one of them hit
this sort of training school.
A professional training school
with dormitory buildings.
Nine people now confirmed dead there.
President Zelensky,
meanwhile, turned up
on the eastern front line near Bermuda,
and he had this
to say about those attacks.
Movie score with perfume.
But we will certainly respond
to every blow
of the occupiers on our cities.
Today's Russian strikes on Zap Russia,
the nightly attack on the Kiev region.
All Russian strikes will receive
a military, political and legal response.
The visit
presumably designed
to boost morale in the city
where they've been continuing
that bloody defense.
Meanwhile, this morning,
Ukrainian top general
saying that he expects
that Ukraine to might be able to go
on the offensive
in battle soon because he says
Russian forces are depleted.
Yeah,
I mean, that is also a stark contrast
to what we saw from
President Putin earlier
this week in Mariupol
under the cover of darkness. So clear.
Thanks very much.