Canada's Trudeau condemns Russia's missile strike on Dnipro as death toll rises to 35

The death toll in a Russian missile strike on an apartment building in Dnipro, southeastern Ukraine on Sunday has risen to 35, as per Ukrainian officials. The deceased include a 15-year-old girl. The rescue efforts by the national emergencies service which have been going on for more than 40 hours still continue to retrieve any survivors from the debris. 

Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Russia's missile attacks on residential buildings in Dnipro despicable and abhorrent and stated that Canada will continue to provide Ukraine with support to defend itself against Russian aggression.

"Russia's attacks on residential buildings in Dnipro, Ukraine are despicable, abhorrent, and completely unacceptable. Canada condemns this violence unequivocally – we stand with the people of Ukraine, and we'll continue to make sure they have the support they need," Trudeau wrote on Twitter.

35 killed & 75 injured in the strike

Emergency crews worked through the frigid night and all day at the multi-story residential building, where officials said about 1,700 people lived before the strike, reported AP. Dnipro’s regional governor, Valentyn Reznichenko, confirmed 35 people were killed in the attack in an update shared to Telegram about 8.30am on Monday. 39 people have been saved so far, 75 were injured. Among the injured are 14 children.

Broys Filatov, the mayor of Dnipro said, "The chances of saving people now are minimal. I think the number of dead will be in the dozens.” While the Kremlin claimed responsibility for the missile strike, a Russian ministry statement posted on Telegram said, “All designated targets have been hit. The goal of the attack has been achieved.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the Russian people’s “cowardly silence” over the attack, noting that Ukraine had received messages of sympathy from around the world over “this terror.”

Sanctions expanded to Russian citizens: Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy in a video address spoke about the decision to expand "our sanctions against Russian citizens and other persons who help terror". The list reportedly includes 200 people. "Almost 200 - this list is carefully prepared, and behind each name there is a responsible motivation. Those who justify terror. Those who grease the Russian propaganda machine. Those who tried to sell Ukraine somewhere in Moscow," said Zelenskyy.

This public will face a full list of personal restrictions. We will do everything to make the sanctions work on the largest possible scale in Europe and in the world, stated Zelenskyy. "Everyone will be held to account for terror: both those who kill and those who help to kill," he added.