Serhiivka missile strike
Part of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
The residential building after the strike
LocationSerhiivka, Serhiivka settlement hromada, Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Raion, Odesa Oblast, Ukraine
Date1 July 2022
01:00 AM[1] (UTC+3)
TargetResidential building and recreation facility
Attack type
Missile strike
Deaths21 (including 1 child)[2]
Injured38 (including 6 children)[2]
Perpetrators Russian Air Force
The residential building with attached shop after the strike
The recreational center after the strike

On 1 July 2022, at 01:00 am (UTC+3), a Russian missile hit a residential building and two missiles hit a recreational center in Serhiivka, Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Raion, Odesa Oblast.[2][3] The missile strike killed at least 21 people (including a 12-year-old boy).[2] July 2 was declared a day of mourning in the region.

Course of events

Russian destruction of another Ukrainian recreational center in same district on May 9, 2022

According to preliminary information, three Tu-22M3 aircraft of the Russian Air Force flew from Volgograd Oblast to Crimea,[4] and after 1,200 kilometres (750 mi) fired three Kh-22s, supersonic anti-ship missiles designed for use against aircraft carriers, in the direction of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi district to the resort Serhiivka village.

One missile hit a 9-story residential building, completely destroying one section.[5] The fire spread from the apartment building to the attached store.

The second missile hit a recreation center in the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi region. The fire did not start at the recreation center.[citation needed]

As a result of these strikes, a rehabilitation center for children administered by Moldova in the village was hit. One of its workers died and five others were injured.[6]

Victims

According to preliminary data, at least 16 Ukrainian civilians were killed in the residential building and at least 5 (including a 12 year old boy) in the recreation center. 38 were injured (including 6 children).[1] In addition to people, pets also have died.[2]

Reactions

2 July was declared a day of mourning in the region.[7] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Moldova condemned the attack and gave information about the damages the Moldovan rehabilitation center had suffered.[6] Romania also condemned the attack, and said that the Romanian authorities would be in contact with its Moldovan partners.[8]

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy accused Russia of having committed "an act of conscious, deliberately targeted Russian terror – and not some kind of mistake."[9] He noted that as in the recent Kremenchuk shopping mall attack, the Russian army used unnecessarily powerful weapons to strike a civilian object: "These missiles, Kh-22, were designed to destroy aircraft carriers and other large warships, and the Russian army used them against an ordinary nine-story building with ordinary civilian people."[10][11]

Official representative of Germany Steffen Hebestreit [de] described the missile strike as an "inhumane and cynical" war crime.[12]

A spokesman of the Russian Presidency, Dmitry Peskov, denied that Russia was attacking civilian objects in Ukraine and said that the targeted buildings were used for military purposes.[10][11] Amnesty International visited the locations and studied satellite imagery, finding no evidence that the targeted buildings were used by the military.[10][13]

References

  1. ^ a b "Ukraine war: Russian missile strikes kill 21 in Odesa region – emergency service". BBC News. 1 July 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Россия обстреляла курорт под Одессой, погиб 21 человек, в том числе один ребенок" (in Russian). BBC. 1 July 2022. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022.
  3. ^ Nazarchuk, Iryna (1 July 2022). "After Snake Island retreat, Russian missile attack kills 21 near Ukraine's Odesa". Reuters.
  4. ^ "Russia-Ukraine War: Russian missiles kill at least 21 in Ukraine's Odesa region". The Times of India. 2 July 2022.
  5. ^ Auto, Hermes (1 July 2022). "After Snake Island retreat, Russian missile attack kills 21 near Ukraine's Odesa". www.straitstimes.com.
  6. ^ a b Botnarenco, Iurii (1 July 2022). "Chișinăul a reacționat la atacul cu rachete rusești din orașul Sergheevca, în care a fost ucis cetățean al R. Moldova". Adevărul (in Romanian).
  7. ^ "В Одессе и области объявили траур по жертвам трагедии в Сергеевке". USI. 1 July 2022.
  8. ^ "România va ajuta R. Moldova după atacul cu rachete de la Sergheevca". Noi.md (in Romanian). 2 July 2022.
  9. ^ "Russia-Ukraine war: Zelenskiy accuses Russia of 'deliberate terror'; UK 'condemns exploitation' of captured Britons – latest updates". the Guardian. 2 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  10. ^ a b c "Kyiv says at least 21 dead in strike near city of Odessa". The Washington Post. 1 July 2022. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Russian missiles kill at least 21 in Ukraine's Odesa region". ABC News. 2 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  12. ^ "Правительство ФРГ назвало военным преступлением обстрел Одесской области" [FPR government said the missile strike in Odesa Oblast is a war crime]. Deutsche Welle (in Russian).
  13. ^ "Ukraine: Civilians killed by 'reckless' Russian attacks on Serhiivka apartment block and beach resort". Amnesty International. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.

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