Russian missile strike on Odesa: residential district hit for first time, five dead

At least six explosions were heard in Odesa, due to a Russian missile attack that began after 2pm on Saturday, April 23.

According to preliminary details, three rockets were intercepted by the Ukrainian defence, but three hit a southern residential district of the city. Several apartments were badly damaged, and windows were blown out in the rest.

One of the rockets flew into a residential complex, one – into an infrastructure facility. At least two cars were set on fire in a courtyard. There was a victim in one of them, it was reported.

“We already know about one person who died in Odesa. He burned to death in his car in the yard of one of the houses,” Anton Herashchenko, adviser to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs said.

Rescuers say that a shell remained unexploded in the house, but several floors were destroyed.

Initially, observers estimated that the attack was carried out with Kalibr missiles. Then, they concluded that the city was fired at with Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles.

This is the official report by the military press office:

«Today, April 23, from 14:00 to 15:00, the air defense group of the South Air Command conducted hostilities to destroy enemy cruise missiles launched by Russia’s TU-95 strategic aircraft from the Caspian Sea.

During the fighting, soldiers of anti-aircraft missile units destroyed two enemy cruise missiles (previously X555 or X101), which struck the city of Odesa and 2 operational-tactical level UAVs, which presumably corrected the flight of cruise missiles and placed active obstacles to air defenses. Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Unfortunately, 2 missiles hit a military facility and 2 hit residential buildings.

South Air Command Public Relations Service»

A member of Odesa City Council, Peter Obukhov, wrote in his Facebook page:

“We received “gifts” for Easter from Putin – winged rockets fell in Odesa. Let’s hold on. Anxiety is over with already. This can still happen in our city. Unable to approach the enemy cities, they can sometimes use winged missiles. We have to be strong. Victory will still be ours.”

“Five Ukrainians killed and 18 wounded. And those are only the ones that we were able to find. It is likely that the death toll will be heavy,” the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Andriy Yermak, said on Telegram, AFP reported. “A three-month-old baby was among those killed.”