The mayor of the city of Dnipro said that it was becoming less likely that more survivors would be found from the recent Russian missile strike that hit an apartment building. The mayor also estimated that the death toll from the bombarded apartment building would be in the dozens.
In an interview with Reuters on Sunday, Dnipro city mayor Borys Filatov said that the chances were less likely that more survivors would be rescued from the remains of an apartment building hit by a Russian missile on Saturday. Filatov’s comments come amidst emergency services digging through the rubble and debris from a destroyed part of the building. 72 apartments were destroyed by the strike.
“I think the chances of saving people now are minimal. As of 11:00, 21 people are dead, but 40 are missing,” said Filatov. “May God help us find several of them. I think the number of dead will be in the dozens.”
The Dnipro City Council later reported that the death toll had gone up to 23, and 43 people were reported to be missing. Filatov said he believes that the missile Russia used to hit the building was likely targeting a nearby power station but instead hit an apartment building.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, a former commander under the Russian Wagner mercenary group sought asylum in Norway after fleeing for his life. In a video posted by the Gulagu.net rights group, Andrei Medvedev, who joined the Wagner group on a four-month contract back in July last year, said he crossed the border with Norway after he was detained by the Norwegian police.
Medvedev, who was serving a prison sentence prior to joining the mercenary group and fighting in Ukraine, said he deserted the group after he witnessed the killing of captured deserters by the mercenary group.
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said Medvedev worked in the Norwegian chapter of the group but “mistreated prisoners.” Prigozhin warned that Medvedev was “dangerous.”
In interviews with the Gulagu rights group, Medvedev said he became disaffected after his contract was repeatedly extended by the mercenary group without his consent and witnessing the killing and mistreatment of Russian prisoners who were brought to the front lines by the group.