Hillel International announced over Instagram on Saturday that the Hillel Dnipro branch had been severely damaged during a Russian missile barrage just before Shabbat came in on Friday.
“We are devastated to share that earlier this evening, Hillel Dnipro in Ukraine was heavily damaged by a missile attack,” the organization wrote. “Thankfully, no one was injured as the attack happened just before Jewish students were going to be heading to the building to celebrate Shabbat.”
The group captioned the post, “We are devastated to share that a missile attack heavily damaged Hillel Dnipro in Ukraine just before students arrived for Shabbat. Thankfully, no one was injured.
“Our hearts are with our Hillel family in Ukraine.”
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At least one killed, and 12 injured in Russian missile attack on Ukraine's Dnipro
A Russian missile strike hit a nine-story residential building in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Friday, killing at least one person and injuring 13 others, officials said. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko warned the death toll would likely rise as more people remained trapped in the building where four upper stories collapsed as a result of the attack.
Later, statements from the Interior Ministry said the fire at the site had been extinguished, the remains of one person had been detected underneath the rubble, and two people were listed as missing.
Regional governor Serhiy Lysak said 13 people had been injured, including a 7-month-old infant.
Three people were in severe condition. A photograph published by Lysak on the Telegram messaging app and other images circulated on social media showed a badly damaged building with smoke rising from a gaping hole in its upper stories. Other pictures showed emergency crews making their way around piles of rubble.
Reuters could not independently verify the photos. President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Ukraine’s allies to step up supplies of air defenses to help the military intercept Russia’s regular aerial attacks.
Dnipro, which had a pre-war population of almost one million people, is a major Ukrainian city that lies on the road to the east of the country where the most intense fighting with Russian forces.
Dnipro has been regularly targeted by missile and drone strikes since Russia launched its February 2022 invasion. Russia denies targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, but thousands of people have been killed.