Ukrainian officials said early Wednesday that a nighttime Russian missile attack killed three people and killed three others in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa, which is a regular target of Russian missiles and drones seeking to destroy port infrastructure. announced that he was injured.
The attack follows a Russian airstrike on Monday night that killed five people and injured about 30, Ukrainian officials said.
Videos and photos from Monday's strike showed the lifeless and bloody bodies of civilians lying on an unknown seaside promenade near military buildings, grain warehouses and other strategic locations. .
Ukrainian authorities on Tuesday accused Russia of using cluster munitions, a controversial and widely banned weapon that can cause indiscriminate harm to civilians, in the attack.
The early Wednesday attack also damaged civilian infrastructure in Odesa, the region's military administrator, Ole Kiper, said on the messaging app Telegram.
Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said in a statement that Russia fired an Iskander ballistic missile equipped with a cluster warhead in Monday's attack. “Investigators have reason to believe that Russian military officers deliberately decided to use such weapons in order to kill as many Ukrainian civilians as possible,” Kostin said.
His claims could not be independently verified.The statement included the following: video of attackThe report found that the attack targeted the port area, which has several sports facilities nearby. The video also shows about 30 explosions occurring in succession near the port. The New York Times verified the authenticity of the video, but not the nature of the weapon used.
Minutes before the explosion, Ukraine sent a warning through its telegram channel about a missile launch from Crimea toward Odessa.
Konrad Musica, a military analyst at Poland's Roshan Consulting, said the explosion appeared to be the result of a cluster bomb. Bridget Brink, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, wrote on social media site Russia used cluster munitions in the attack, it said, adding: “The brutal and merciless nature of Russia's war cannot be overstated, as these attacks against civilians continue every day.”
There was no comment from the Kremlin regarding the strike in Odessa. U.S. officials said they were aware of Monday's attack and Ukraine's claims of cluster munitions, but could not confirm the use of cluster munitions.
Because of the dangers that cluster munitions pose to civilians, more than 100 countries have signed a 2008 treaty known as the Convention on Cluster Munitions, pledging not to manufacture, use, transfer or stockpile cluster munitions. The United States, Russia, and Ukraine are not parties to this treaty.
Russia and Ukraine use cluster munitions (rockets, bombs, mortars, artillery shells) that split in mid-air and scatter tiny submunitions, such as explosive submunitions, over hundreds of square feet or more. , a type of weapon consisting of missiles).
Originally designed before the advent of guided weapons, they are generally inaccurate weapons designed to attack general area targets such as air defense positions, armored vehicles, and dismounted troops, and are often used on the front lines. It has been.
Bomb disposal experts and human rights groups say these mass-produced, cheaply made submunitions typically have a 20% failure rate and often leave behind dangerous unexploded bombs that can later detonate if mishandled. said. Because they are small, these unexploded ordnances lie unnoticed among debris and vegetation, and because they weigh so little, children can pick them up without realizing the danger.
If confirmed for use in Monday's attack, it would indicate Russian tactics aimed at making life miserable for Ukrainian civilians, including bombing power plants to cut off power to major cities. There is a possibility of escalation. Moscow has repeatedly targeted urban centers in recent weeks, sometimes using weapons typically reserved for combat zones.
The area targeted in Monday's attack is popular with local residents, who often walk there. A nearby Gothic building, known locally as Harry Potter Castle and housing a private law school, went up in flames after the attack.
“The Russians launched a ballistic missile with a cluster bomb at one of the most popular places among Odesa residents and tourists,” Kiper wrote on social networks, “where people were walking their children and dogs. and playing sports.”
Kiper said the dog also died in the attack. unverified picture In the aftermath of the attack, footage showed a woman in sportswear kneeling over a white dog covered in blood, and another woman lying at the foot of a bench next to a pavement with impact marks.
Attorney General Kostin said fragments of the weapon were found within a 1.5 kilometer (about 1 mile) radius of the crash site.
The United States last year agreed to send 155-millimeter cluster munitions to the Ukrainian military to help it advance its summer counteroffensive. The decision drew criticism from human rights groups, who pointed to the indiscriminate harm the weapons cause to civilians.
Ukrainian officials and military experts say Russia has stepped up its attacks on major cities in recent weeks in an effort to intimidate residents and sow panic.
The main target is Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, just 40 miles from the Russian border. Since March, Russia has launched one of the most lethal weapons in its arsenal, a powerful glide bomb known as a glide bomb that is dropped from fighter jets and drops hundreds of pounds of explosives in a single explosion. This is the first time guided weapons have targeted the country. Bombs are difficult for air defense systems to shoot down, leaving people essentially helpless.
On Tuesday, Russia again targeted Kharkiv with three glide bombs, according to a statement from the Kharkiv district prosecutor's office. The airstrike killed at least one person and injured at least eight others, prosecutors said.
Dr. Oleksandr Volkov, a Kharkiv-based doctor who is affiliated with the humanitarian organization International Rescue Committee, said in an emailed statement that recent strikes have made living conditions in the city “increasingly uncomfortable and far worse than before.” “It's significantly worse than before.” 6 months ago. “
Eric Schmidt Contributed report from Washington DC
