'High precision' strike kills journalist, hits Kyiv homes

Mykhailo Vovchynskyi had only just moved into his Kyiv apartment when the building was hit in what Russia called a "high precision" missile attack targeting a factory across the street -- a claim he found loaded with menace.

Not only did the powerful blast on Thursday evening heavily damage the structure, injuring at least 10 people, it killed a female journalist in her home as UN chief Antonio Guterres was visiting the Ukrainian capital.

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"If this was indeed a high precision attack, that is pretty cynical. It s inhuman behaviour," 22-year-old Vovchynskyi said Friday after he and his girlfriend hauled out bags of belongings they had brought in some two weeks earlier.

As he spoke, heavy equipment was piling up rubble and crews were shovelling shattered glass and inspecting the building, which had nearly three storeys of its facade shorn off.

The powerful blast left mounds of shattered concrete and on Friday morning, rescuers said they had found a corpse, which was carried out in a black body bag on a stretcher and loaded into a green morgue van.

The victim was Vera Gyrych, a journalist and producer at US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty who was killed in her home, prompting the broadcaster to express its anger over "the senseless nature" of her death.

"We have lost a dear colleague who will be remembered for her professionalism and dedication to our mission," its president Jamie Fly said in a statement.

Russia has faced harsh criticism for its explosive strikes that have struck civilian areas, but also over accusations its soldiers on the ground have killed or harmed civilians.

Moscow insists it is doing all it can to protect non-combatants.