A RUSSIAN missile attack on a Ukrainian apartment block packed with families claimed around 60 lives, it was revealed last night.
Furious Ukrainian president Volodymr Zelensky confirmed a child was among 25 who died in the carnage in Dnipro and 73 more were wounded - including 14 children.
But 43 more victims were feared to have been entombed as officials admitted yesterday there was virtually no hope of finding more survivors.
The cowardly strike came as capital Kyiv, Kharkiv in the east and the southern port of Odesa were blasted by missiles targeting military and energy sites on Saturday.
But blood-soaked tyrant Vladimir Putin yesterday shrugged off the latest civilian atrocity, insisting his “special operation” in Ukraine was going to plan.
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Putin said on state TV: “Everything is developing within the framework of the plan of the ministry of defence and the general staff.”
Dnipro mayor Borys Filatov said there was “minimal” chance of finding anyone else alive after the missile hit the entrance of a nine-storey building, reducing it to blazing rubble.
Rescue teams were last night clawing at the smouldering ruins after the explosion tore a huge gap in the 100-foot block in Dnipro, 300 miles south east of Kyiv.
Mykola Lukashuk, head of the regional council, said emergency services rescued 38 people.
Zelensky said debris clearance in Dnipro would continue all night in the hunt for survivors.
He said: “We are fighting for every person, every life.”
The wave of weekend strikes - launched from Russian warships in the Black Sea and Tupolev bombers - stepped up Russia’s “energy war” aiming to crush Ukrainian spirit.
Fresh power blackouts were reported as Zelensky reported infrastructure in the Kharkiv and Kyiv regions had been badly hit.
Ukrainian state energy company Ukrenergo imposed round-the-clock consumption limits for all regions amid sub-zero winter temperatures.
But analysts said Putin’s energy campaign is likely to stall as spring approaches and his commanders run short of suitable missiles.
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And Ukrainian resolve appeared as strong as ever, buoyed by UK PM Rishi Sunak’s pledge to send 14 Challenger 2 battle tanks to the front line.
Zelensky repeated his plea to Western allies to send more weapons, while revealing that his forces shot down more than 20 of 30 Russian missiles fired at Ukraine on Saturday.
Russia warned providing more weapons to Ukraine would lead to intensified Russian operations - and more civilian casualties.
