Day 327: Death Toll from Russian Attack on Dnipro Rises to 40

Facts

• The death toll from a Russian strike on the Dnipropetrovsk city of Dnipro on Sunday has risen to at least 40 civilians killed, with at least 75 people reported injured, Ukrainian officials said Monday.
• Ukraine's Office for the Prosecutor General said Kh-22 missiles were used and alleged the attack was a war crime. In a statement, a spokesperson said: "This type of missile [the Kh-22] leads to the greatest human casualties because the missile is extremely inaccurate... Therefore, the use of such weapons for targets in densely populated areas is clearly a war crime."
• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia doesn't target civilians and that legitimate military targets were struck in the attack on Dnipro. He alleged that it was Ukrainian air defense missiles that struck the residential tower block; the claim couldn't be independently confirmed.
• Elsewhere, in the last 24 hours, Russian forces continued shelling the previously held city of Kherson — reportedly striking a high-rise building, a boarding school and a children's hospital — killing four civilians and injuring 14 others, according to officials. Meanwhile, 14 civilians have been reported injured in repeat attacks on the region of Zaporizhzhia; seven were injured in Donetsk while two more were injured in Kharkiv; Dnipropetrovsk was also further shelled without reports of civilian casualties.
• In Ukrainian attacks, Crimea governor Mikhail Razvozhayev on Monday said eight drones were destroyed by Russian air defenses over the port city of Sevastopol in an overnight attack. There were no reports of damage or civilian casualties.
• Ukrainian attacks were also reported in the Russia-held city of Donetsk on Monday where two civilians were reported killed and four more were injured. The attacks reportedly struck energy infrastructure and a shopping mall. Officials from the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) reported three additional injuries were recorded elsewhere in the region over the past day.
• In diplomacy, Chinese authorities are working on efforts to promote Russia-Ukraine peace talks, vice foreign minister Xie Feng said at a forum hosted by the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies in Beijing on Monday. In the address, Xie, tipped to be the next Chinese ambassador to the US, also called for "mutual respect" in US-China relations, stating that "win-win cooperation" could reap "mutual benefit, reciprocity and balance."

Sources: Associated Press, Newsweek, Tass, and Ukrinform.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Newsweek. Russia's indiscriminate missile attack on a residential building in Dnipro targeted civilians in close quarters — violating fundamental tenants of international humanitarian law. This is a war crime.
• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by Tass. Russia's attack on Dnipro did not target civilians. Legitimate military targets were struck in the attack and the residential block was damaged by Ukrainian air defenses.

Predictions