site.btaRussian Attack on Odesa Kills Three

Three people, including a child, were killed and 15 were injured following a night-time attack in Odesa, the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Oleh Kiper, announced on his Telegram channel on Monday.

“As a result of the night-time attack on Odesa, unfortunately, three people were killed and at least 15 were injured, 13 of whom were hospitalised. Among the dead are a 30-year-old woman and her young daughter, aged 2 years and 6 months, and another woman aged 53. Our sincere condolences to the families of the victims. Fifteen people were injured with varying degrees of severity, including a pregnant woman and two children: a 7-month-old boy and a 2-year-old girl,” Kiper said in his statement.

The head of the Odesa City Military Administration, Serhiy Lysak, reported that in the Prymorskyi district a multi-storey residential complex and seven private houses were damaged. Municipal services are clearing the area, the head of the city military administration said.

In the Kyivskyi district, one multi-storey building, five private houses, a private nursery, a shop and 27 vehicles were damaged. All relevant services are dealing with the aftermath of the night-time attack.

6 April has been declared a day of mourning in Odesa in memory of the civilians who were killed, whose lives were cut short by the night-time attack, Lysak said.

“As a sign of mourning, the national flag of Ukraine and the flag of Odesa with mourning ribbons have been lowered to half-mast on buildings. All enterprises and organisations are recommended to limit entertainment events and the use of music,” he said in a post on his Telegram channel.

Bulgarians in Odesa Region number more than 150,000 and were the third-largest population group in Ukraine in 2001, according to the official census. About 50,000–60,000 Bulgarians live in the city of Odesa. The largest compact Bulgarian population is concentrated in the Bolhrad, Izmail and Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi districts.