Four people were killed by a Russian missile strike in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region on Friday, Governor Oleh Kiper said on the Telegram messaging app.
Per Reuters, Kiper said a ballistic missile struck a two-storey building where civilians lived and worked. 10 more people were wounded.
Russia has targeted Ukraine’s coastal Odesa region throughout the war, hitting cargo ships and grain silos in what Kyiv says is an attempt to destroy its export capacity.
The regional governor said, “The enemy attacked the Odesa region with ballistic missiles. Four people were killed, including a teenager.”
Kiper added that a two-storey building had been destroyed in the attack and that the victims included a 43-year-old woman, a 22-year-old man, and a 16-year-old girl.
“Another woman died in hospital from her injuries,” Kiper said, adding that 10 people had been wounded.
Video from the scene of the attack distributed by first responders showed emergency workers retrieving bodies from the rubble of the destroyed building by lamplight.
Russian forces have stepped up attacks on southern Ukraine recently, including strikes that have damaged civilian vessels at Odesa region ports.
Ukraine was one of the largest exporters of grain in the world before Russia’s invasion in February 2022, but repeated attacks on its port and storage facilities have severely curbed its output.
Eight people were killed in an attack on Wednesday this week, the latest in a string that the European Union described as a “blatant violation of international law.”
