The death toll from a Russian missile strike in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro has risen to 40 with dozens more missing, making it the deadliest civilian incident of Moscow’s three-month campaign of hurling missiles at cities far from the front.

Kyiv says the mass civilian deaths, which it describes as terrorism, demonstrate why it needs more weapons to defeat Russian forces 11 months after they invaded.

Russia denies intentionally targeting civilians.

Germany’s Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht resigned on Monday as her government came under rising pressure to let allies send Ukraine German heavy tanks, at the start of what looks like a pivotal week for Western plans to further arm Kyiv.

Officials acknowledged little hope of finding anyone else alive in the rubble of Saturday’s attack in the central city of Dnipro but President Volodymyr Zelensky said the rescue operation would go on “as long as there is even the slightest chance to save lives”.

“Dozens of people were rescued from the rubble, including six children. We are fighting for every person!” President Zelensky said in an overnight televised address.

President Zelensky, speaking later in his nightly video address, said the Dnipro attack underscored the need to speed up decisions on arms supplies and “co-ordinate all the efforts of the coalition defending Ukraine and freedom”.

He expects key decisions by Ukraine’s allies when they meet in Germany later this week, he said.

Dnipro was in mourning on Monday as rescue workers shovelled through debris more than 48 hours after the attack which flattened all nine storeys in a section of a long concrete housing unit.

“We all live in buildings like this one and we all imagine what if it happened to us. It is awful,” said Polina, 28, a resident of the neighbourhood.

Russia has been conducting large-scale strikes on Ukrainian cities since October, mainly targeting power generation infrastructure.

It said it was not to blame for the destruction in Dnipro as it was caused by Ukrainian air defences.

Kyiv says the apartment building was hit by a Russian ship-to-ship missile, a type that Ukraine does not have the capability to shoot down.

At least 40 people were killed in the attack with 30 still unaccounted for, city official Gennadiy Korban said.

He said 75 people were wounded, including 14 children.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the Dnipro strike, a UN representative said.

“Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international humanitarian law. They must end immediately,” the representative said.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed since Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24 and about one-quarter of the population have fled their homes.

Ukrainian forces recaptured swathes of eastern and southern territory during the second half of 2022 but front lines have largely been frozen in place for the past two months, despite intense fighting in which both sides have taken heavy losses.

Ukraine says a key to breaking the stalemate would be Western battle tanks and armoured vehicles as these would give its forces the capability to break through Russian lines.

Western countries have so far stopped short of sending tanks, loath to provoke the Kremlin which claims Ukraine is fighting on behalf of a broader Western plot to destroy Russia.

The tank taboo was finally broken at the weekend when Britain pledged a first squadron of Challengers to Kyiv.

On Monday, it confirmed the supply of 14 Challenger 2 tanks and other hardware including hundreds more armoured vehicles and advanced air defence missiles “to accelerate Ukrainian success”.

In announcing the added military aid, British defence minister Ben Wallace urged Germany to permit the supply of Leopard tanks to Ukraine, stressing this could unlock support from other nations and Berlin would not be acting alone.

The far more commonly used Leopards are seen as the most likely workhorses of a future Ukrainian armoured force, although that would require permits Berlin has yet to grant.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is due to host allies at an air base in Germany on Friday to discuss further aid for Ukraine.