Ukraine: Seven die as Russian missiles hit Pokrovsk town

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said an ordinary 'residential building' was hit by a missile.

He wrote on X: "The city of Pokrovsk, Donetsk region. Donbas, from which Russia is trying to leave only broken and scorched stones. Two missile strikes. An ordinary residential building was hit. "

"Unfortunately, there are victims. Rescuers and all necessary services are on the scene. The rescue of people continues," he said.

Sending out a strong message to Russia, he said: "We have to stop the Russian terror. Everyone who fights for the freedom of Ukraine saves lives."

"Everyone in the world who helps Ukraine will defeat the terrorists together with us. Russia will be held accountable for everything it has done in this terrible war," he said.

Serhii Dobriak, a local military leader, told CNN all the victims in the attack were either residents, rescue workers or police, including some officers who had been displaced from their homes in Mariupol after the Kremlin bombarded and eventually seized the coastal city.

Meanwhile,  a UN spokesperson said attacks against Ukrainian port infrastructure are not isolated and Russia’s termination of the Black Sea Initiative is impacting global food prices and affecting the most vulnerable people.

Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for Secretary-General António Guterres, made the remark while speaking at the regular press briefing at UN Headquarters in New York.

The Danube port of Izmail, in the Odesa Region, was hit on 2 August. The attack damaged facilities storing thousands of tons of food grains.

“The Secretary-General also condemned Russia’s intensification of attacks on Ukrainian ports, calling for the immediate cessation of all attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine,” he said.

The Black Sea Initiative enabled the export of millions of metric tons of food from Ukrainian ports, and together with the UN’s parallel accord with Russia on export of food and fertilizer, had been vital for global food security and price stability, including in areas hit hard by conflict and hunger, such as Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa and Yemen.