Civilian death toll from Russia's strike on Odesa region rises to 20
The death toll from Russia’s overnight strikes on Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, about 50 miles southwest of the Black Sea port city of Odesa, has risen to twenty, according to Ukrainian officials. Dozens of others were injured in the strikes.
One of the missiles hit a nine-story residential tower, killing 16 and injuring at least 37, according to Ukraine’s state emergency service. Another missile hit a recreational center, killing four more, including one child.
“We don't expect to find anyone alive, but there is a chance,” first deputy interior minister Yevhenii Yenin said earlier on Friday, speaking from the scene of the attacks.
According to Kyrylo Tymoshenko, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, “Terror is a common tactic of Russia. First, they cover their criminal actions with an ‘act of goodwill’ and then launch rocket attacks on our peaceful cities.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that Russia was targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
“I would like to again remind you of the words of the president of the Russian Federation and commander in chief that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are not working against civilian targets in the course of the special military operation,” Peskov stated.
The Russian military “strikes warehouses of military ammunition, at enterprises where training and repair of military equipment, storage of ammunition, places of concentration, training and education of mercenaries,” Peskov added.
Last month, the British Defense Ministry warned that Soviet-era anti-shipping weapons were being used against land targets in Ukraine. According to them, such weapons are “highly inaccurate and therefore can cause severe collateral damage and casualties.”