INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Rescuers were removing mountains of rubble on Thursday from the site of a lethal Russian missile strike on Ukraine's historic city of
Chernihiv, where at least 18 people were killed in an attack that has prompted fresh pleas for allies to boost Kyiv's overstretched air
defense systems.Three Russian missiles crashed into the northern Ukrainian city on Wednesday, leaving pools of blood on the street at the
scene of one strike, where rescue workers searched for survivors and carried away the wounded on stretchers.The official death toll rose to
President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed for more help from Western allies, the U.S
House of Representatives finally announced a vote on a massive military aid package that includes about $61 billion in long-delayed support
for Kyiv, a move welcomed by President Joe Biden.Chernihiv resident Olga Samoilenko told AFP she and her children found shelter in the
corridor of their apartment building after the first missile exploded."Our neighbors were already there
We started shouting for everyone to fall to the floor
There were two more explosions
Then we ran to the parking lot," the 33-year-old said.Zelensky questions West's resolveMayor Oleksandr Lomako said more than a dozen
buildings had been damaged in the attack, while other officials said dozens of vehicles and medical and educational facilities were also
damaged.A 25-year-old policewoman on sick leave was among those killed after suffering a severe shrapnel injury, the interior minister
announced.AFP journalists at the scene saw a body being pulled from the rubble and an eight-story hotel building gutted by the strike where
municipal workers were using a crane to clear debris.Nearby apartments, a beauty salon and a beer shop were among structures whose windows
were blown out by the attack.The Chernihiv region, which borders Belarus to the north, was partially occupied at the beginning of the
Russian invasion but has been spared fighting for around two years since Russian forces retreated.Zelensky blamed Russia for the attack but
also said the West should do more to help defend Ukraine's skies."This would not have happened if Ukraine had received sufficient air
defense equipment and if the world's determination to resist Russian terror had been sufficient," he said.'Same level of defense'Addressing
the European Council by video link later Wednesday, Zelensky said Ukraine should enjoy the same cover from aerial attacks as Israel and
pleaded for more air defense systems."Here in Ukraine, in our part of Europe, unfortunately, we don't have the level of defense that we saw
recently in the Middle East," Zelensky said.Zelensky was referring to the interception of Iran's drone and missile barrage on Israel last
Saturday."Our Ukrainian sky, the sky of our neighbors deserves the same level of defense."The Ukrainian president added: "All lives are
equally valuable."In Washington, Biden applauded the planned vote in Congress on the massive new Ukraine aid package, scheduled for Saturday
after months of political wrangling, and called on American lawmakers to pass it."I will sign this into law immediately to send a message to
the world: 'We stand with our friends, and we won't let Iran or Russia succeed'," he said in a White House statement.Chernihiv lies around
145 kilometers north of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, and had a pre-war population of around 285,000 people.The city was badly damaged when
Russian tanks swept into Ukraine from Belarusian territory in February 2022 and besieged the city until April of that year.
