This is the moment Ukrainian rescuers save a boy who was trapped under rubble after Putin’s latest wave of missile strikes last night.
The images show rescuers pulling an injured 12-year-old Artem from the debris before he is put on a stretcher and carried to an ambulance. The Ukrainian emergency services said that seven people could still be trapped in the debris.
The second piece of footage shows the rescuers escorting people to safety and rescuing them. The images also show the work that was required to free Artem from the debris after his home was hit by one of Putin’s missiles.
The rescue workers can be seen inflating a device to ease the pressure exerted by some of the debris on the boy. They can be seen propping up a collapsed part of the building with various tools before the boy is freed and taken to safety.
An aerial view of the building shows how the missile almost cut it in two.
The images were obtained from the State Emergency Service (SES) of Ukraine for the Mykolaiv region on Thursday, 13th October, along with a statement saying: “Footage of the rescue of twelve-year-old Artem, who was buried under rubble as a result of an enemy rocket hitting a five-story residential building in one of the city’s districts.
“The guy was under the rubble for more than 6 hours. All the time, he bravely held on, listened to all the advice of the rescuers, who tried in every way to support him, while carrying out emergency work.
“At 07:50, units of the State Emergency Service unblocked Artem. He is currently hospitalised in a medical institution. Doctors are conducting examinations and providing assistance. We believe that everything will be fine with Artem.”
These SES of Ukraine also issued a separate statement saying: “In Mykolaiv, as a result of enemy shelling, a five-story residential building was destroyed: search and rescue operations are ongoing, a child was rescued.
“On October 13, around 01:25, the Russian occupiers once again launched rocket attacks on the city of Mykolaiv, previously with S300 air defence missiles. One of the rockets hit a five-story residential building in one of the districts of the city. As a result, the two upper floors were completely destroyed, the rest – under rubble.
“As of 08:00, rescuers unblocked a twelve-year-old boy from under the rubble, who was handed over to doctors.
“According to preliminary information, there may be 7 residents of the five-storey building under the ruins of the building, with whom there is currently no communication. Rescuers are searching for them and analyzing the destroyed structures.
“To provide assistance to the local population, volunteers of the Red Cross Society of Ukraine are working on the spot, emergency medical teams, law enforcement officers and emergency teams of the city are involved.”
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 232nd day of the war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 13th October, Russia had lost about 63,800 personnel, 2,511 tanks, 5,167 armoured combat vehicles, 1,556 artillery units, 357 multiple launch rocket systems, 183 air defence systems, 268 warplanes, 240 helicopters, 1,182 drones, 316 cruise missiles, 16 warships, 3,935 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 140 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
The General Assembly of the United Nations has overwhelmingly voted to condemn Russia’s annexation of parts of Ukraine, with 35 countries abstaining, including Pakistan, South Africa, India and China.
The resolution “condemns the organisation by the Russian Federation of so-called referendums within the internationally recognised borders of Ukraine” and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “attempted illegal annexation”, which he announced last month.
The Ukrainian military has announced that it has recaptured more territory near the southern city of Kherson. It is understood that five settlements in the Beryslav district of the north-eastern part of the Kherson region have been recaptured. They have been named as Novovasylivka, Novogrygorivka, Nova Kamyanka, Tryfonivka, and Chervone.
NATO allies have delivered new air defence systems to Ukraine after Russia launched a wave of missile attacks across the country, targeting civilian areas.
The Minister of Defence of Ukraine, Oleksiy Reznikov, said: “A new era of air defence has begun in Ukraine.”
He added: “Iris-Ts from Germany are already here. Nasams [from the US] are coming. This is only the beginning. And we need more.”
The United Kingdom has also said that it will provide AMRAAM air defence missiles that are capable of shooting down cruise missiles.
The European Commission is set to present plans next week geared towards mitigating rising energy costs.
Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said that there are plans to set up joint gas purchases by 2023 to harness the bloc’s collective purchasing power and to “avoid member states outbidding each other on the market”, which “drives up” prices.
Putin has claimed that Russia is prepared to resume supplying gas to Europe via part of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that remains operational, saying that it was up to the European Union to decide if it wanted gas supplied by this pipeline.
