A residential building in the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa, seen after it was hit by a Russian missile on April 23. (Odesa City Council)
Two more missiles were shot down by air defense forces. The debris from one of them hit another residential building.
The number of casualties is likely to increase, according to Andriy Yermak, president’s chief of staff.
The main attack destroyed at least four stories in a 16-story residential building in Arkadia, a popular residential area of Odesa. An unknown number of victims may remain under the rubble, and rescuers from the State Emergency Service are working on the site.
The missiles were launched by a Russian bomber Tu-95 coming from the Caspian Sea, according to Ukraine’s military.
Speaking at a press conference later in the day, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia fired seven missiles at Odesa on April 23, including two that were intercepted.
A residential building was hit by a Russian missile in Odesa on April 23. (State Emergency Service)
Odesa has been targeted before, but it’s the first time a residential building was hit.
The airstrike hit the city during the Orthodox Easter weekend. The Security Service called on April 23 for Ukrainians to stay home during Easter festivities over threats of Russian attacks that authorities feared can target churchgoers.
“Nothing is sacred (for them),” Yermak wrote on his Telegram channel.
The attack destroyed several cars in the yard of a residential building. (Odesa City Council)
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on Russia to be designated a state sponsor of terrorism and “treated accordingly,” meaning “no business, no contacts, no cultural projects.”
“We need a wall between civilization and barbarians striking peaceful cities with missiles,” Kuleba wrote on Twitter on April 23.
