A Russian airstrike on a prison in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region has killed at least 17 people and wounded more than 80 others.
Four guided aerial bombs hit the Bilenkivska Correctional Colony in the southeastern province, according to the State Criminal Executive Service of Ukraine.
At least 42 inmates were taken to hospital with serious injuries and another 40 people, including one staff member with a “facial fracture”, sustained other injuries.
The prison dining hall was destroyed and administrative buildings damaged but the fence was unaffected and there were no prisoner escapes, authorities said.
Ukrainian officials condemned the airstrike, with a statement saying: “This incident is yet another confirmation of the gross violation of international humanitarian law by the armed forces of the Russian Federation.
“Bombardment of civilian infrastructure, in particular penitentiary institutions, is considered a war crime.”
Russian authorities have not commented.
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