Ukraine reports at least 21 fatalities from Russian missile strikes on a town close to Odesa.

Two Russian missiles slammed a multistory apartment building and a leisure center in a tiny seaside village near Odesa, killing at least 21 people, including two children. Ukrainian police believe the attack was retaliation for Russian soldiers being driven from Snake Island the day before.

In a video, Serhiyivka's burned-out remnants of buildings could be seen. Three X-22 missiles fired by Russian airplanes, according to the Ukrainian president's office, hit a residential building and a campground just before 1 a.m. local time.

 

According to Ukraine's security service, 38 other individuals with injuries, including six children and a pregnant woman, were brought to a hospital. The majority of people who died and were hurt were asleep when the rockets hit.

Following a week in which Moscow increased its long-range attacks, hitting civilian targets far from the frontlines, the attack was the culmination of that trend.

Sergei Bratchuk, the military spokesman for Odesa, claimed that “strategic aircraft” flying over the Black Sea was responsible for the missile attack. In the Belgorod-Dniester region, “one rocket hit a nine-story residential building, and the other a vacation camp,” he claimed.

Neighbors assisted employees as they searched through the block's debris, a portion of which had been demolished. Oleksandr Abramov, a neighboring resident who responded immediately to the explosion after hearing it, said: “We came here to the site, assessed the situation with emergency personnel and locals, and collectively aided those who survived. and others who sadly passed away. We assisted in removing them.

The strike on the summer camp claimed the lives of three individuals, including a child, according to the state emergency agency.

A video apparently from the attack was posted by Ukrainian MP Roman Hryshchuk, who said: “Just imagine: you wake up and realize there is no way out. Following the attack by Russian missiles on an Odesa residential high-rise, people were trapped inside their own apartments.

The chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Andriy Yermak, declared: “A terrorist nation is slaughtering our people. When they lose on the battlefield, they fight the populace.

Moscow has so far denied carrying out the attack, and its spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, reaffirmed that it was not intended to target residential areas. He claimed that the Russian military was attempting to attack ammunition storage facilities, weapon maintenance shops, and troop training centers.

Russian forces were driven off Snake Island, a crucial Black Sea island off the southern coast close to Odesa, by Ukrainian forces on Thursday. Ivan Bakanov, the chief of Ukraine's security service, the SBU, referred to Friday's incident as “the occupiers' horrible massacre of people,” saying that because they are unable to prevail on the battlefield. “After being driven from Snake Island, the enemy made the call to retaliate by cynically shelling civilian sites.”

The withdrawal from Snake Island was presented by Russia as a “goodwill gesture.” The Russians left on two speedboats, according to the Ukrainian military, following a barrage of artillery and missile strikes.

Early in the conflict, the island gained prominence as a representation of Ukrainian defiance. The island's defenders are reported to have responded, “Go fuck yourself,” when a Russian vessel demanded their surrender.

Zelensky claimed that although the withdrawal did not ensure the security of the Black Sea region, Russian actions there would be “seriously limited.” In his nightly address, he declared, “Step by step, we will push [Russia] out of our sea, our land, and our sky.”

A packed retail center in the Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk was struck by two Russian X-22 cruise missiles earlier this week, killing at least 18 people and injuring dozens more.

The attack on Monday afternoon, according to the Ukrainian defense ministry, was planned to coincide with the busiest times at the mall and result in the greatest number of casualties. Between 200 and 1,000 individuals were inside at the time of the incident, according to estimates by the authorities. When they heard the air raid sirens, many were able to get away and find a nearby bomb shelter. Some people arrived too late and were stuck inside. There are still about 20 people missing.

Russian forces in eastern Ukraine continued to try to encircle Lysychansk after destroying its twin city, Sievierodonetsk.

The entire territory of Luhansk, which together with Donetsk makes up the eastern Donbas region, could fall under Russian control if Lysychansk falls, which would represent another tactical success for the Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to Serhiy Haidai, the governor of Luhansk Province, “the bombardment of the city is particularly intense.” “The occupants are using heavy artillery and other weapons to destroy one house after another. Nearly all of the time, people in Lysychansk are sheltering in their basements.

Even though the main route heading west was closed due to persistent Russian bombardment, the offensive has so far been unable to interrupt Ukrainian supply lines, according to the governor. Evacuation is not feasible.