At least 21 people have been killed in a Russian missile attack on the Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky district in Ukraine’s Odessa region.
“Odessa region. As of 08:30 local time (05:30 GMT) 18 people have died, including two children. 30 have been injured,” the deputy head of the Presidential Office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, wrote in his message on Telegram. Subsequently, the count of bodies was updated, as well as the number of people rescued from the rubble, which amounts to 41.
On its Facebook page, the Ukrainian Emergency Service has confirmed the rocket attack, which it has attributed to the Russian army, and that it occurred at 06:00 local time (03:00 GMT).
“As a result of a missile attack by the Tu-22 (Russian) strategic aircraft from the Black Sea in the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi district of the Odessa region, three X-22 missiles hit an apartment building overnight. of several floors and two recreational centers”, pointed out, for his part, Tymoshenko in his latest report.
The emergency service has explained that one of the missiles had hit a nine-storey residential building that has been partially destroyed.
The Odessa region, whose capital of the same name has the only seaport in Ukraine that the Russians do not yet control, borders Moldova and Romania. In addition, the attack coincides with the Russian loss of the strategic Snake Island, located in the Black Sea and key to maintaining the Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports from which to prevent the export of grain.
For its part, Moscow has denied any responsibility. “I would like to remind you of the president’s words that the Russian armed forces do not attack civilian targets,” Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov said.
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