Ukraine has accused Russia of carrying out “terrorism” after 19 people, including two children, were killed in a missile strike on an apartment block.
Video of the pre-dawn assault showed the charred remains of a nine-story buildings in the small town of Serhiivka, close to Odesa in southern Ukraine.
“A terrorist country is killing our people. In response to defeats on the battlefield, they fight civilians,” Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said.
The Kremlin has denied Moscow targeted the building, insisting “the Russian Armed Forces do not work with civilian targets”.
The attack comes after Russian forces withdrew from the strategically important Snake Island on Thursday, a move Ukrainians hoped would ease the threat to nearby Odesa.
