Russian forces attacked a civilian truck leaving Zaporizhzhia, which resulted in 23 persons being killed and 28 hurt, according to Ukrainian officials.
Oleksandr Starukh, chief of Zaporizhzhia's military administration, stated the Russians fired rockets on a relief convoy.
Photos and videos taken at the site depict damaged automobiles and what appear to be bodies lying in the street, according to a report from CNN.
According to Melitopol's mayor, Ivan Fedorov, people leave Zaporizhzhia daily to visit or bring medical supplies to their families and return. He added that it is challenging to estimate the number of casualties from the Russian missile strike.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy director of the president's office, said 16 Russian missiles hit the civilian convoy.
On Telegram, Tymoshenko claimed that the Russians fired "16 S-300 missiles," as per early reports. The attack killed 23 and wounded 28 people.
Tymoshenko further stated that the Russians bombarded four missiles on the region surrounding the auto market and the hub where people and cars gather to enter and exit the temporarily controlled territory of Ukraine.
In another news update, Ukrainian officials reported another Russia missile strike on Dnipro that resulted in one death and the destruction of dozens of buses.
One person was killed, and scores of buses were destroyed when two Russian cruise missiles struck a bus facility in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
The chief of the military administration in Dnipropetrovsk, Valentyn Reznichenko, reported that one person got killed and five were injured when Russian "Iskander" cruise missiles pounded the city, 52 buses were burned, and several buildings sustained damage.
Putin Signs Annexation of Zaporizhia, Kherson
The news of the missile attacks broke after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the Ukrainian districts of Zaporizhia and Kherson to be "independent," marking a new escalation in Moscow's seven-month assault.
On late Thursday, Putin issued an order on the "recognition of the state sovereignty and independence" of Zaporizhia and Kherson in southern Ukraine.
According to an Al Jazeera report, the two territories will be integrated into Russia along with Donetsk and Luhansk during a spectacular event in the Kremlin on Friday. Hastily-organized referendums in the Russian-occupied territories reported majorities of up to 99% in favor of joining Russia.
In February, Putin officially recognized the 'independence' of Donetsk and Luhansk.
The latest Russian annexation of Ukrainian areas came eight years after Moscow seized Crimea from Ukraine following an invasion and a similar vote.
UN, US Blasts Russia's 'Dangerous Escalation'
At a media conference in New York City, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres blasted Russia's move and said the annexation would violate the UN Charter and have "no legal value."
Unusually using harsh words, Guterres noted that Russia's actions are "a dangerous escalation" of the crisis that erupted on February 24 and "have no place" in the modern world.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has stated that the United States will not recognize any Russian attempt to grab territories in Ukraine, BBC reported.
According to Biden, the latest annexation will force the US to slap more sanctions on Russia.
The US head of state remarked: "The United States, I want to be very clear about this, will never, never, never recognize Russia's claims on Ukraine's sovereign territory."
Related Article: Vladimir Putin To Proclaim Annexation of Russian-Controlled Areas in Ukraine; How Will It Impact The War?
