Russia launched a missile attack on Ukraine. 17 people were killed. More than fifty people were injured. The casualties occurred in the Russian attack on the northern city of Chernihiv in this Eastern European country.

The British media BBC reported this information in a report on Wednesday (April 17) night.

Emergency services said 17 people were killed in a Russian missile strike in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, according to reports. At the same time, more than 60 people including three children were injured in this attack. The missile hit an eight-story building in a densely populated area of the city, the city's mayor said.

Officials said three missiles hit the city center.

According to the BBC, the attack was carried out hours after reports of a Ukrainian attack on a Russian military airbase in occupied Crimea. Details of that attack have not yet been confirmed, although local social media channels have shared video of the fire at the Zhankoy airfield in northern Crimea.

Oleksandr Lomako, the acting mayor of Chernihiv, said one building was hit directly by a Russian missile and several floors were damaged. The attack damaged four other high-rise buildings, a hospital, dozens of cars and a higher education institution, the office of the president of Kiev said.

Emergency services are searching the rubble for victims and officials have appealed to the public to come forward to donate blood.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Russian attack would not have happened "if Ukraine had received sufficient air defense equipment". He also reiterated his appeal to Western allies for more assistance.

Chernihiv is located just 100 kilometers (60 mi) from the Russian border. Russia had occupied parts of the Chernihiv region not far from the city for weeks before the 2022 offensive began. The city was under siege for more than a month at that time. About 70 percent of the city was destroyed in the fighting and hundreds of civilians were killed, the mayor said.

Besides, in August 2023, a theater in the city was also hit by a Russian missile attack. At that time seven people were killed.