At least 8 civilians killed after Russian missile targets Odesa

Source: Oleg Kiper, Head of Odesa Regional Administration; Gennadiy Trukhanov, Mayor of Odesa

A Russian missile strike on Odesa claimed the lives of at least eight civilians on Monday. According to the Odesa Regional Administration, at least 18 others sustained injuries, including a child. Four victims remain in critical condition.

At 11:58 am, Ukrainian Air Force sent out an alert over  the launch of a ballistic missile, which moments later struck a residential and business district of the city. Civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings, suffered significant damage, with some jarring videos emerging on social media show lifeless bodies of civilians lying in the street.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the missile hit a parking area, resulting in damage to an apartment complex, a university, and an administrative building.

Odesa mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov confirmed that the missile targeted a densely populated part of the city. “The victims were peaceful residents,” he emphasized.

Rescue operations are ongoing, as emergency service teams are trying to assess the full extent of casualties and destruction.