Russian strikes kill one, injure 13 in Ukraine

Russian strikes kill one, injure 13 in Ukraine

One person was killed and more than a dozen others were wounded in Russia’s latest aerial attack on Ukraine, which targeted the southern port city of Odesa, officials said on Friday.

Emergency services published images of firefighters helping a woman in pyjamas climb from the window of a housing block in flames.

Both Moscow and Kyiv have stepped up their drone and missile attacks after three years of war and peace talks initiated by the United States appear closer to collapse.

Ukrainian police said one person was killed and 13 were wounded in Odesa, including three rescue workers who were hurt at the scene of the attack.

Residential buildings, higher education institutions, civilian infrastructure, and transport were damaged by the strike,” said Oleg Kiper, the governor of the Black Sea region.

The Ukrainian air force said Russia had launched 86 drones in the barrage and that 70 had been downed by air defence systems.

The Russian defence ministry, meanwhile, said its forces had eliminated at least 61 Ukrainian drones.

Odesa, one of Ukraine’s largest port cities and a UNESCO heritage site, has been under persistent Russian attacks since Moscow invaded its neighbour early in 2022. 

AFP