Ukrainian authorities said Monday that Russian forces had fired a missile at the southern city of Odessa, adding to the growing number of people killed or injured in the conflict. The losses in the Black Sea port are the latest as Russian forces have turned their attention to the south and east of Ukraine. “Unfortunately, there are dead and injured,” Maxim Martchenko, Odessa regional administrator, told the Telegram, announcing the strike. “We will not leave it like this.” The Kyiv Independent posted on Twitter a video from the State Emergency Service with fire crews extinguishing the burning debris from the spot where the rocket allegedly hit. Zelensky says a Russian rocket hit a dormitory in Odessa. “In Odessa, a 14-year-old boy was killed and a 17-year-old girl was injured. What is this? For what reason? “How did these children and this dormitory threaten Russia?” said Zelensky. Video: State Emergency Service pic.twitter.com/JrkcADlXai – The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) May 2, 2022 Zelensky said in a statement that a 14-year-old boy was killed by the rocket and a 17-year-old girl was injured by shrapnel in the attack. “What did these children and the dormitory threaten the Russian state with?” said Zelensky. “And so they fight.” In the eastern Ukrainian city of Lysychansk, Zelensky said a gym built by Belgians more than a hundred years ago had been burnt down by Russian bombing. He said the high school had withstood two world wars, but “proved to be a formidable threat to modern-day Russia”. According to Zelensky, 220 Ukrainian children have been killed by the Russian army since it began its invasion of Ukraine on February 24. That number is likely to be higher because Zelensky said authorities do not have access to all of his temporarily occupied areas. In addition, 1,570 educational institutions have been destroyed or destroyed by bombings, he said. Ukrainian forces remain on high alert for a possible Russian advance on the historic port city of Odessa, the occupation of which could help give Russia control of Ukraine’s southern coast. Roadblocks appear on the street in Odessa on April 25, 2022. Anastasia Vlasova / Getty Images “That is why the whole free world is united so that no one can justify Nazism, kill children or destroy peaceful cities like Russia does,” Zelensky said. Zelensky issued the statement the same day he met with Danish Foreign Minister Jepe Kofod, who reopened his country’s embassy in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. In addition, Zelensky said his office is working on additional sanctions against Russia and expects a new package from the European Union soon. He again called on Western powers to prevent Russia from receiving payments for energy sales, “so that the terrorist state is not given a billion euros a day in fuel.” After failing to occupy Kyiv, Russian forces turned to the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine. The United Nations has warned that Russia’s invasion could block seaports in cities, including Odessa, leading to food shortages worldwide. Late last month, Ukrainian authorities released a video showing the aftermath of a Russian rocket attack on Odessa that reportedly killed five people and injured 18. Newsweek contacted the Russian government for comment.
