Russian missiles kill 20 in Odesa, Zelenskyy vows response

According to EURACTIV, a Russian ballistic missile attack struck a residential area in Ukraine’s Black Sea port city of Odesa on Friday (15 March), killing at least 20 people and wounding more than 70, in Moscow’s deadliest attack in weeks, Ukrainian officials said.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia would receive a “fair response” from Ukrainian forces for what he said was a “vile” assault on a city that has been attacked by Russian drones or missiles almost every day this month.

Two Iskander-M missiles fired from the Russian-occupied Crimea peninsula damaged civilian infrastructure and gas and electricity supply lines in the southern city, regional governor Oleh Kiper said on national television.

A medic and a rescuer were killed by a second missile after rushing to the scene to treat people hurt in the initial strike. Ten people had suffered serious injuries, Kiper said.

Local officials and national police said police were among the dead, including at least two senior officers. A former deputy mayor of the city was also killed.

“The explosion was very strong, especially the second one… This is a very powerful missile that flies from the occupied Crimea in a few minutes,” Kiper said.

Some residents, he said, were facing gas and electricity supply cuts as a result of strikes.

“Our Defence Forces will certainly do everything to ensure that the Russian killers feel our fair response,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram.

Residents were rushing to donate blood, creating queues at medical centres. Saturday was declared a local day of mourning.

Odesa, one of Ukraine’s biggest ports, has long been a target of Russian attacks, especially after Moscow quit a UN-brokered deal that had allowed safe passage for Ukrainian grain shipments via the Black Sea.