At least five dead in Russian strike on Odessa: Kyiv

A Russian strike killed at least five people, including a baby, and wounded 18 others in Ukraine’s Black Sea city of Odessa on Saturday, Kyiv said, warning the toll would likely rise.

“Five Ukrainians killed and 18 wounded. And those are only the ones that we were able to find. It is likely that the death toll will be heavy,” the head of Ukraine’s presidential office Andriy Yermak said on Telegram. “A three-month-old baby was among those killed.”

Earlier on Saturday, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said: “The only aim of Russian missile strikes on Odessa is terror.”

Ukraine’s air force said its defence systems intercepted two Russian TU-95 missiles that it said were fired from the Caspian Sea.

But it said four other missiles hit the city, including civilian infrastructure.

“Unfortunately, two missiles hit a military facility and two hit residential buildings,” the air force’s southern command said on Facebook.

Odessa, a largely Russian-speaking city and cultural hub, has been targeted previously by Moscow’s forces which were rebuffed by Ukraine.