Europe 1 with AFP 11:53 a.m., January 15, 2023, modified at 11:54 a.m., January 15, 2023

On the 326th day of the conflict in Ukraine, rescuers were busy trying to find survivors in the ruins of a building in Dnipro, eastern Ukraine, hit the day before by a Russian strike whose toll rose at 20 dead.

“Twenty innocent victims,” lamented the head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration, adding that 73 people had been injured.

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"Rescue operations are continuing. The fate of more than 40 people remains unknown," Valentyn Reznichenko added on Telegram.

A video posted by Ukrainian rescue services on Facebook and Telegram showed rescuers digging through the rubble of the building overnight.

A previous report released overnight reported at least 14 people killed, including a 15-year-old girl, and 64 injured in the bombing of this building.

Rescuers then managed to extract 38 survivors from the rubble.

The main information to remember:

  • Death toll from strike that destroyed building in Dnipro, eastern Ukraine, rises to 20

  • Several power cuts have affected the country, after targeted Russian attacks on power generation facilities

  • London promised this Saturday a delivery of 14 heavy tanks to Ukraine

  • kyiv "still has control" of the city of Soledar, whose capture was claimed by the Russians

Several power outages

According to the Ukrainian presidency, between 100 and 200 people are homeless as a result of this strike, and some 1,700 inhabitants of Dnipro were without electricity and heating.

In the south, in Kryvyi Rig, one person was killed and another injured in the destruction of apartment buildings by a strike, according to an official report.

In total, "the enemy carried out three air strikes and around fifty missile strikes during the day" on Saturday, said the staff of the Ukrainian army.

"In addition, the occupiers launched 50 attacks with multiple rocket launchers."

Power cuts have affected most parts of the country after these new Russian attacks on power generation facilities, according to Ukrainian authorities.

"Is it possible to stop Russian terror? Yes, it is possible. Can it be done other than on the battlefield in Ukraine? Unfortunately, no," commented Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"The world must stop this evil," he implored.

Neighboring Moldova claimed to have found missile debris on its territory, near the northern village of Larga.

"The brutal war that Russia is waging against Ukraine has again affected Moldova," protested its president Maia Sandu.

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Delivery of heavy tanks for the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom promised on Saturday the delivery "in the coming weeks" of 14 Challenger 2 heavy tanks to Ukraine.

The delivery reflects "the UK's ambition to step up its support for Ukraine", British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told Volodymyr Zelensky in a phone call.

The United Kingdom thus becomes the first country to commit to sending this type of armored vehicle to Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky thanked London for taking decisions that "not only will strengthen us on the battlefield, but will also send the right signal to other partners".

The announcement caused a reaction from Russian diplomacy, which considered that this shipment of arms would "in no way accelerate the end of military hostilities, but only intensify them, causing new victims".

kyiv had already received from its allies heavy tanks of Soviet design -nearly 300-, but still none of Western manufacture.

Poland had already said it was ready on Wednesday to deliver 14 Leopard 2 heavy tanks of German design, which requires the approval of Berlin.

Several Western states have also recently announced the supply of lighter infantry or reconnaissance tanks.

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War in Ukraine: why the battle of Soledar has high stakes?

Soledar holds, assures kyiv

On the front, the town of Soledar, in eastern Ukraine, is still “under Ukrainian control”, assured Saturday the governor of the Donetsk region, Pavlo Kirilenko, noting that “the fighting continues in the city and outside".

This locality and that close to Bakhmout currently remain the "hottest" points of the conflict, he said on television.

Near Soledar, AFP journalists saw rescue teams treating wounded Ukrainians on Saturday.

“The situation is difficult, but the Ukrainians are holding their positions,” assured Vadim, a rescue worker, who was helping to evacuate a soldier shot in the leg.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said Friday that the "release" of Soledar had taken place "on January 12 in the evening".

Fighting in and around this town has been raging for several months, but its intensity has increased sharply in recent days.

Its capture by the forces of Moscow would constitute a notable victory for Russia, after the series of failures recorded by its troops in recent months.