Reported Russian strike kills two teenage girls in Chernihiv

A reported Russian strike in Chernihiv killed two teenage girls and damaged businesses, homes and vehicles, according to the supplied report.

Firefighters were deployed to extinguish burning cars and contain flames and smoke coming from damaged buildings. Emergency crews also attended to victims amid scattered debris at the scene.

Footage described in the report showed rescuers carrying a person into an ambulance. It also showed a body lying beneath a blanket near the site of the attack. The identities of those shown were not provided.

Missile attribution

The local military administration said the attack involved a Banderol cruise missile. The weapon is described as a relatively inexpensive, jet-powered system capable of remaining in the area before striking its target.

The report presents Russian responsibility for the Chernihiv strike as reported, and does not provide independent verification of either the missile type or the reported death toll. The names and ages of the two teenage girls were not disclosed.

Ceasefire reported around Oleshky

The Chernihiv attack was reported alongside developments around Oleshky, a Russian-occupied city in Ukraine’s Kherson region. Ukrainian and Russian human rights ombudsmen said a separate US-brokered ceasefire there had passed 30 hours without an incident.

Russia’s Defence Ministry released images that purportedly showed military engineers clearing mines near Oleshky. The date on which the images were filmed was not provided.

Around 2,000 people are believed to remain in the city, where food, water and medicine have reportedly been scarce for months. The operation was intended to open routes for humanitarian aid and allow residents who wished to leave to do so.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the respite but said the evacuation of civilians would be crucial to the truce’s success.