Russian missiles slammed into a central Ukraine community today, killing at least 21 including three children and injuring 115, half of them seriously.
A baby was also among those killed after three Kalibr cruise missiles smashed into Vinnytsia and several more were hit by Kyivs’ air defences.
Rescuers are searching the rubble for survivors amid fears a further 46 people are missing and may also have been killed.
At least 50 cars were set ablaze by the explosions, which left locals reeling in shock over Russia ’s latest missile strike.
Missiles were fired from submarines in the Black Sea, escalating fears Russia is increasingly focusing on killing civilians.
Vinnytsia is 430 miles from the east Ukraine frontline and the atrocity follows a string of mass casualty missile strikes.
Moscow is thought to be frustrated over a lack of gains in month five of the war and their attacks in Donetsk are faltering under a wave of Ukrainian rocket salvos.
Tonight Ukraine’s furious President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a brief statement: “What is this - if not an open act of terrorism?”
He added: “Cruise missiles hit two community facilities, houses were destroyed, a medical centre was destroyed, cars and trams were on fire.”
Footage revealed thick black smoke pouring out of a tall building, cars burnt-out and the twisted remains of vehicles and smouldering rubble.
Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter : “This is terrorism. Deliberate murder of civilians to spread fear.
“Russia is a terrorist state and must be legally recognised as such.”
The UK MoD said Russia is making little headway in Putin’s war wish-list of taking the whole of the Donbas region.
It said: “They have achieved no significant territorial advances over the last 72 hours and are in danger of losing momentum built up.”
There were also reports that Russian forces are so mired in the war that in the east they are importing concrete pills boxes to dig in and defend against Ukrainian attacks.
Kyiv's forces have been bolstered by the supply of multiple launch rocket systems which are proving increasingly deadly against Russian troops.
Western-supplied long-range weapons and 155mm “smart” shells are hitting Russian ammo dumps and supply lines.
Ukrainian General Oleksiy Gromov said the new weapons were critical to Ukrainian strikes and singled out U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) that Kyiv began receiving last month.
He said: “We are decreasing the enemy’s potential, hitting his logistics supply, hitting his ammunition... The enemy is being forced to change its system for supplying ammunition and fuel.
“Right now the enemy is looking at placing brigade-level ammunition dumps no closer than 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the front line, and depots at corps-level at distances of over 150 km.”
Russian military trucks were spotted delivering the blockhouses to invaded areas within Ukraine. Vladimir Putin ’s army has imposed an “operational pause” on exhausted troops.
At least 14 Russian Colonels have died in five months of fighting as well as a dozen of Putin’s Generals, in a staggering blow to Putin’s military.
Ukraine officials say the total troop losses for Russia are edging towards the bloody milestone of 40,000, at 37,870 and counting.
Other Russian losses, which soar by the day, include 1667 tanks, 219 warplanes, 188 helicopters and 678 drones.
And Kyiv’s SBU spy and counter-intelligence agency has revealed it is intercepting increasing mobile phone conversations between Russian troops complaining about the war.
Most of the complaints relate to suffering a lack of equipment with which to fight Ukraine, whose troops are counter-attacking in the east.
