Monday in the Black Sea port city of Odesa turned into a nightmare as a Russian missile attack wreaked havoc, claiming the lives of at least five individuals and leaving more than 30 others injured, according to Ukrainian authorities. Dramatic video footage released by Ukraine’s Prosecutor General captured the terrifying moment when dozens of bomblets exploded in rapid succession near the seafront. The attack's impact was horrifyingly evident in other videos and images shared by officials, showing flames engulfing the cone-shaped towers and roof of a local educational institution often referred to as the “Harry Potter castle” for its striking resemblance to a Scottish baronial pile.
Ukraine's authorities believe that Russia utilized an Iskander ballistic missile along with cluster munitions to carry out this devastating assault. Andriy Kostin, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General, reported that "Metal fragments and missile debris were recovered within a 1.5 km radius from the attack site," indicating the sheer force of the explosion. The investigation strongly suggests that the Russian military deliberately deployed cluster munitions, aiming to inflict a large number of casualties. Shockingly, among the 30 people injured were two children and a pregnant woman.
The aftermath of the attack revealed extensive damage, with nearly 20 residential buildings and infrastructure facilities left in ruins. Despite the international ban on the use, transfer, and production of cluster munitions under the Convention on Cluster Munitions, neither Russia nor Ukraine has signed the treaty. Cluster munitions have been utilized by both sides in this conflict, with the United States providing such munitions to Ukraine as part of a military aid package last year.
Meanwhile, Russian officials reported a successful interception of a major missile and drone attack by Ukraine using air defenses in Crimea. Sergey Aksyonov, the top civilian official in occupied Crimea, urged caution, warning people to avoid potential unexploded ordnance. His officials went further, appealing to the public not to record or share videos of Russian air defenses in action. According to Russian military bloggers, the targets were airfields. The vital bridge connecting Crimea to Russia, crucial for supplying Russia's ongoing war efforts, was temporarily closed but has since reopened.
Russian officials claimed that the attack primarily involved six US-supplied Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), all of which were allegedly successfully intercepted by air defenses. However, Ukraine has not commented on these claims, and the veracity of Russia's assertions cannot be independently verified, as very few videos or images of the explosions have emerged.
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