Ukraine: Russian strike kills two teenage girls in Chernihiv

Firefighters rushed to extinguish burning cars and tackle flames and smoke pouring from damaged buildings, while emergency crews attended to victims amid scattered debris. Footage shows rescuers carrying a person into an ambulance and a body lying under a blanket near the scene.

The local military administration said the attack involved a Banderol cruise missile, a relatively inexpensive jet-powered weapon capable of loitering before striking its target. Businesses, homes and vehicles were damaged in the attack.

The strike came as a separate, US-brokered ceasefire in southern Ukraine was reported to be holding around the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, in the Kherson region. Ukrainian and Russian human rights ombudsmen said on Wednesday that the local truce had passed 30 hours without an incident. Images released by Russia's Defence Ministry purportedly show military engineers clearing mines near Oleshky, although the filming date was not provided.

The operation is intended to open routes for humanitarian aid and allow residents who wish to leave to do so. Around 2,000 people are believed to remain in the city, where food, water and medicine have been scarce for months. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the respite but said the evacuation of civilians would be crucial to the truce's success.