A Russian missile attack on an educational institution in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa on Monday killed four people and injured 28 others, local officials said. On an unnanounced visit to Kyiv, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said months-long delays in US military aid to Ukraine had “serious consequences on the battlefield”, but that victory over Russia was still possible.
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Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said four of the injured were in serious condition and receiving urgent treatment.
He said the injured included two children and a pregnant woman.
Pictures posted online showed an ornate building close to the seafront ablaze and smoke billowing skyward. Video footage, which could not be immediately verified, showed people receiving treatment on the street alongside pools of blood.
Ukrainian navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk, in a posting on a military Telegram channel, said the strike was conducted by an Iskander-M ballistic missile with a cluster warhead. These missiles are harder to intercept.
Public broadcaster Suspilne said the roof of the building, described as a law academy, had been nearly destroyed. It said the academy’s president, a prominent former member of parliament, Serhiy Kivalov, was among the injured.
Odesa has been a frequent target of Russian missile and drone attacks, particular port infrastructure.
Read moreUkraine’s Odesa rocked by deadly blast during visit by Zelensky and Greek PM
Another Russian strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city that is also a frequent target, wounded one person, local authorities said.
Regional governor Oleg Sinegubov said on Telegram that a 42-year-old man had been wounded by shrapnel and the blast following a Russian “missile attack”.
‘Not too late’ for Ukraine to win the war, NATO chief says
Earlier Monday, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said it was “not too late” for Ukraine to win the war, as he made an unannounced visit to Kyiv.
“Ukraine has been outgunned for months, forced to ration its ammunition… But it’s not too late for Ukraine to prevail,” he said at a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukrainian forces have been on the defensive for months, while Russia’s troops have steadily inched forward along the frontline.
On Monday Russia claimed to have captured a second village in as many days in eastern Ukraine.
Moscow has for weeks pressed its advantage at the front, an effort it has accelerated in recent days before crucial US weapons reach Kyiv’s exhausted frontline forces.
Stoltenberg said months-long delays in US military aid to Ukraine had “serious consequences on the battlefield”.
But he insisted that “more support is on the way”.
“Our allies are looking into what more they can do and I expect new announcements soon. So we are working hard to meet Ukraine’s urgent needs,” he promised.
Speaking alongside Stoltenberg, Zelensky urged faster weapons deliveries to bolster the front line.
“The Russian army is now trying to take advantage of the situation when we are expecting supplies from our partner,” the Ukrainian leader said.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)
(Reuters)
