So far, the central Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia has been largely spared from the war. But today several Russian rockets hit residential and office buildings. In addition to dozens of injuries, there are also several dead - including two children.
At least 17 people were killed and dozens more injured in a Russian rocket attack on the central Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia, according to Ukrainian sources. Two children are among the dead. Residential and office buildings were destroyed or badly damaged. According to the police, around 90 injured people needed medical treatment, around 50 of them were in critical condition. A medical center was also hit in the attack with three rockets.
The Ukrainian military said Russia fired Kalibr missiles at Vinnytsia from a submarine in the Black Sea. Footage showed thick black smoke billowing from a large building. Photos posted online by Ukraine's emergency services showed debris and a burned-out car. An overturned stroller was also seen. According to the emergency services, there was a rocket hit a nine-story office building. "Unfortunately, there is probably no hope of finding any survivors (under the rubble)," said a rescue service official.
So far, Winnyzia had been largely spared from the war. The city is far from the main fronts in eastern and southern Ukraine. Before the start of the war, the city, located around 250 kilometers south-east of Kyiv, had around 660,000 inhabitants.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the Russian rocket attacks in Vinnytsia in a statement. "Every day Russia kills civilians, kills Ukrainian children, launches rocket attacks on civilian facilities where there is no military target," he wrote in the statement, which was shared online. "What is this if not an open act of terrorism?" the head of state added. "Inhumans. Murderer state. Terrorist state," he wrote on Telegram.
The southern Ukrainian port city of Mykolaiv was again hit with rockets. During the night, a hotel and at least one school were hit by a total of nine rockets. Authorities said one person was injured. In the meantime, in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, the clean-up work in Chasiv Yar has been completed. A house was hit there last Saturday. According to the authorities, 48 bodies have been recovered since then.
A new report by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) denounces human rights abuses by Russia in Ukraine. Rapes, kidnappings and massive deportations of civilians have been documented several times, the report says. Russia, on the other hand, has repeatedly emphasized since invading Ukraine at the end of February that it only attacks military targets in the neighboring country.
