On the night of 28 June, Russian troops struck Odessa. According to the State Emergency Service and the Odessa police, the strike hit a 21-storey residential building. The strike caused a fire on several floors – the 7th, 8th and 9th – trapping residents in their apartments.
During the rescue operation, firefighters rescued five people, including a small child. According to preliminary data, a married couple died: their bodies were recovered from under the rubble. At least nine people were injured, including two children aged three and seven.
In addition to the high-rise building, other residential buildings, an administrative building, transport and civilian infrastructure were damaged. Rescuers, police, psychologists and the State Emergency Service’s Point of Resilience are working at the scene. The work was complicated by repeated air raid sirens.
The Odessa police are investigating the strike as another war crime by Russia. Law enforcement officers are collecting evidence, recording the consequences of the attack and urging citizens not to ignore air raid sirens.
Search and rescue operations are ongoing. Information about the number of victims and the extent of the damage is being clarified.