Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said towns and villages recaptured from Russian forces had been devastated, while a major city struggled to contain damage to its water system from missile attacks by Kremlin’s forces. Kryvyi Rih, the largest city in central Ukraine with an estimated pre-war population of 6,50,000, was targeted by eight cruise missiles on Wednesday, officials said.

Ukraine’s presidential office said Russian troops fired missiles at the dam of the reservoir close to Zelensky’s birthplace, Kryvyi Rih. The damage flooded over 100 homes as efforts were underway to contain more spillage. “The water pumping station was destroyed. The river broke through the dam and overflowed its banks. Residential buildings are just a few metres away from the river,” Ukrainian legislator Inna Sovsun said on Twitter.