KYIV — A daytime Russian missile attack on the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia killed at least 13 civilians and wounded about 30 others on Wednesday, officials said.

Footage posted on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Telegram channel shows civilians lying in a street littered with debris, with emergency services providing aid and transporting victims on gurneys.

Russian troops started launching the glide bombs at Zaporizhzhia in the middle of the afternoon, and at least two bombs struck residential buildings in the city, regional governor Ivan Fedorov said.

He announced that Thursday would be a day of mourning in the region.

“There is nothing more brutal than aerial bombing of a city, knowing that ordinary civilians will suffer,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.

In his nightly address, he continued to pressure Kyiv's allies to strengthen Ukraine's air defence systems.

"The key for Ukraine is to continue strengthening our air defence, enabling Ukraine to at least drive Russian military aviation away from our cities and borders. This is possible if our partners now implement the agreements we have been discussing with them for a long time," he said.

Throughout the nearly three-year war, Russia has repeatedly launched aerial attacks on civilian areas, causing thousands of civilian deaths in Europe’s deadliest war since World War II.

Earlier, the Ukrainian military reported striking a fuel storage depot deep inside Russia, igniting a massive blaze at a facility supplying a key Russian air base.

Russian officials confirmed a major drone attack in the area and said that authorities had set up an emergency command centre to fight the fire.

Zelenskyy said earlier Wednesday that countries wanting to end the war should offer Ukraine assurances about its future defense.

Kyiv officials fear that any ceasefire or peace deal will just give the Kremlin time to rearm and invade again unless it is deterred by military force.

“I believe that we have a right to demand serious security guarantees from the countries that aim for peace in the world,” Zelenskyy said.

Ukrainian president was responding at a Kyiv news conference to President-elect Donald Trump’s comments the previous day, where Trump expressed understanding of Russia’s opposition to Ukraine joining NATO. — Euronews