Odesa, Ukraine: A Russian missile attack on a popular seafront park in Odesa, a Ukrainian Black Sea port, struck an educational institution, killing at least four people and injuring 32. Local officials reported that one man also died from a stroke potentially linked to the assault. Among the injured, seven were in serious condition, including a four-year-old child, another child, and a pregnant woman. footages showed severe damage to the roof of the private law academy targeted by the strike.
Firefighters continued to extinguish small fires, while Odesa Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov expressed outrage over the attack, labeling the perpetrators as “monsters, beasts, savages, scum.” He criticized the attack, noting that people were merely taking a walk by the sea when they were targeted. A student at the academy named Maria described witnessing the missile’s interception and the subsequent explosion, which caused her doors to open and the glass to shake.
Ukrainian navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk stated that an Iskander-M ballistic missile with a cluster warhead was used in the strike, making it harder to intercept. The academy’s president, Serhiy Kivalov, was among the injured, according to public broadcaster Suspilne. Odesa has often been targeted by Russian missile and drone attacks, particularly on port infrastructure.
