Key Points
- Russian missile attack in Ukraine's Chernihiv has killed seven people, according to Ukraine officials.
- The missile hit as people were on their way to church to celebrate a religious holiday.
- Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Sweden on an unannounced visit to shore up support.
Seven people including a six-year-old child have been killed and 129 wounded after a Russian missile struck a central square in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, the interior ministry says, as officials say the training of Ukrainian pilots in F-16s has begun.
People had been on their way to church to celebrate a religious holiday when the strike took place on Saturday, the ministry said.
Of the 129 counted as wounded in the search and rescue operation, 15 were children and 15 were police officers, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said in a Telegram post.
According to Ukraine's State Emergency Service, at least seven people died and 110 were injured in the missile attack. Source: EPA / Oleg Petrasyuk
"An ordinary Saturday, which Russia turned into a day of pain and loss," he added.
debris scattered across a square in front of the regional drama theatre, where parked cars were heavily damaged.
The video also briefly showed a body slumped inside a car.
Ukrainian media reported that a public event featuring drone manufacturers had been taking place inside the theatre at the time of the attack.
Both sides in Russia's 18-month-old invasion have widely used drones on the battlefield.
In comments to reporters, Klymenko confirmed only that an unspecified event had been taking place in the building and that Ukraine's domestic security service was investigating the matter.
Chernihiv is a city of leafy boulevards and centuries-old churches about 145km north of the capital Kyiv.
The roof of the neoclassical theatre was torn off by the strike, which also blew out doors and windows in neighbouring apartment buildings and storefronts.
The streets were stained with blood trails and strewn with scraps from first-aid supplies that had been used to treat the wounded.
Russia has attacked Ukrainian cities far from the frontline with missiles and drones as part of the full-scale invasion it launched in February last year.
Ukraine's air force said early on Saturday the Ukrainian military had shot down 15 out of 17 Iranian-made drones launched by Russia in an overnight strike.
Meanwhile, Russia's Defence Ministry said on Saturday it had destroyed a Ukrainian drone in the Belgorod region and jammed another near Moscow.
A third struck a military airfield in the Novgorod region, damaging a warplane, it also said.
Zelenskyy in Sweden to shore up support
Zelenskyy arrived in Sweden on an unannounced visit on Saturday - his first to the Scandinavian country since the start of the full-scale invasion.
At a joint news conference, Zelenskyy and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced the two countries had agreed to cooperate on the production, training and servicing of Swedish CV90 infantry fighting vehicles.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyj is seeking Swedish military support. Credit: Jonas Ekströmer
He also encouraged Kristersson to "share" Sweden's Gripen fighter aircraft with Ukraine.
The planned delivery to Ukraine of foreign F-16 fighter jets is likely to take months but, according to information from officials in Kyiv, the training of Ukrainian pilots has already begun.
"Training has already started," Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov told the TV channel 24 Kanal on Saturday.
Ukrainian engineers and technicians are also receiving training, the report said.
Reznikov did not say where training is taking place.
Denmark and the Netherlands have agreed to deliver F-16s to Ukraine and to train Ukrainian pilots.
However, since it is a weapon system from the United States, the delivery required US approval.
The US government said on Thursday that it wanted to enable Denmark and the Netherlands to transfer the F-16s quickly.
Nevertheless, it will probably take several months before the aircraft can actually be delivered.
