Russian missile strike on Ukraine’s port city of Odesa killed at least five people and injured 18 on Saturday (April 23), said Andriy Yermak, Ukraine president’s chief of staff. He made an online post.
Two missiles struck a military facility and two residential buildings in Odesa, said Ukraine’s southern air command.
Smoke billowed from one of the residential buildings struck as emergency services could be seen rushing to the scene. One woman who appeared to have some facial injuries was speaking to local media.
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Reuters said that the death toll has not been independently verified.
The last big strike on or near Odesa was in early April.
“The only aim of Russian missile strikes on Odesa is terror,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter.
Meanwhile, the Russian defence ministry said on Saturday that the missile strike was carried out on a depot containing weapons delivered by the US and European countries.
“Russian armed forces today disabled with high-precision and long-range missiles a logistics terminal at the military airfield near Odessa where a large batch of foreign weapons delivered by the United States and European countries were stored,” it said in a statement.
On Saturday, Russia also resumed attack on Mariupol, another of Russia’s port city in the South. Last resistance pocket of Ukrainian soldiers is in the Azovstal steel plant in the city. About 1000 Ukrainian citizens are also holed-up inside the factory. Russia has already declared that Mariupol is under its control.
On Friday, Russian defence ministry said that remaining Ukrainian fighters had been “securely blockaded” at the steel plant
Control of Mariupol is important to Russia to link Donbas region to Russia-controlled Crimea.
(With inputs from agencies)
