Russian missiles kill at least 18 in attack on children’s centre and apartments

Russia rained down missiles on apartment buildings and a recreation centre for children close to the Ukrainian Black Sea city of Odesa this morning.

It is the latest in a wave of deadly missile attacks since western allies pledged new military and financial support for Kyiv.

At least 18 people were confirmed dead and dozens wounded in the strikes, hours after Ukrainian forces celebrated the recapture of the totemic Black Sea outpost of Snake Island from Russian occupation.

The island, which Russia claimed to have vacated in a goodwill gesture, was recaptured with heavy assistance from western long-range weapons whose supply has enraged the Kremlin, prompting threats of retaliation.

One cruise missile struck a nine-storey building in the town of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi in the early hours, killing at least 16.

Ukraine’s emergencies ministry said rescuers were digging through the rubble in search of wounded survivors after extinguishing a fire set off in a neighbouring store. Another struck the Godzhi recreation centre in the village of Sergiyivka, killing at least two civilians including a ten-year old boy.

“A terrorist country is killing our people. In response to defeats on the battlefield, they fight civilians,” said Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff to the Ukrainian president.

The attacks around Odesa followed last week’s strike on a busy shopping centre in Kremenchuk, central Ukraine, which ignited an inferno that killed 20 people and wounded dozens. Search operations are continuing for at least 20 people missing in the incident, which sparked international outrage as western leaders were gathering for the G7 and Nato summits.

The Kremlin denied involvement in the attack. “I would like to remind you of the president’s words that the Russian armed forces do not work with civilian targets,” spokeman Dmitry Peskov said.

Hours before the strike on a shopping centre in Kremenchuk, the United States confirmed that it would send a Nasams advanced air defence system to Ukraine after President Zelensky pleaded for help defending the country from Russian airstrikes and missiles.

In his nightly address, shortly before the Odesa strikes, Zelensky hailed the recapture of Snake Island as a victory.

“It does not yet guarantee security. It does not yet ensure that the enemy will not come back,” he said. “But this significantly limits the actions of the occupiers. Step by step, we will push them back from our sea, our land and our sky.”

In reality, the outpost’s recapture is more a symbolic than a strategic win. Snake Island became an emblem of plucky Ukrainian resistance when border guards responded to a demand for surrender with the words, “Russian warship, go f*** yourself”. Ukrainian missiles later struck the Moskva, the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, causing it to sink.