Serhiivka missile strike explained

Serhiivka missile strike
Partof:the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Location:Serhiivka, Serhiivka settlement hromada, Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Raion, Odesa Oblast, Ukraine
Target:Residential building and recreation facility
Date:1 July 2022
Time:01:00 AM[1]
Timezone:UTC+3
Type:Missile strike
Fatalities:21 (including 1 child)
Injuries:38 (including 6 children)

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] The missile strike killed at least 21 people (including a 12-year-old boy).[3] July 2 was declared a day of mourning in the region.

Course of events

According to preliminary information, three Tu-22M3 aircraft of the Russian Air Force flew from Volgograd Oblast to Crimea,[4] and after 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.

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.[3]

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. 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 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. Amnesty International visited the locations and studied satellite imagery, finding no evidence that the targeted buildings were used by the military.[13]

Notes and References

  1. News: Ukraine war: Russian missile strikes kill 21 in Odesa region – emergency service . 1 July 2022 . BBC News.
  2. Web site: After Snake Island retreat, Russian missile attack kills 21 near Ukraine's Odesa . Nazarchuk . Iryna . . 2022-07-01.
  3. Web site: Россия обстреляла курорт под Одессой, погиб 21 человек, в том числе один ребенок . 2022-07-01 . BBC . ru . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220701174854/https://www.bbc.com/russian/news-62007571 . 2022-07-01.
  4. Web site: Russia-Ukraine War: Russian missiles kill at least 21 in Ukraine's Odesa region . The Times of India. 2 July 2022 .
  5. Web site: Auto . Hermes . 1 July 2022 . After Snake Island retreat, Russian missile attack kills 21 near Ukraine’s Odesa . www.straitstimes.com.
  6. News: Chișinăul a reacționat la atacul cu rachete rusești din orașul Sergheevca, în care a fost ucis cetățean al R. Moldova. Iurii. Botnarenco. Adevărul. 1 July 2022. ro.
  7. News: В Одессе и области объявили траур по жертвам трагедии в Сергеевке . USI . 1 July 2022.
  8. News: România va ajuta R. Moldova după atacul cu rachete de la Sergheevca. Noi.md. 2 July 2022. ro.
  9. Web site: 2022-07-02 . Russia-Ukraine war: Zelenskiy accuses Russia of 'deliberate terror'; UK 'condemns exploitation' of captured Britons – latest updates . 2022-07-02 . the Guardian . en.
  10. News: 1 July 2022 . Kyiv says at least 21 dead in strike near city of Odessa . . 2 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220702054732/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/07/01/odessa-russian-strike-dead/ . 2 July 2022 . live.
  11. Web site: 2 July 2022 . Russian missiles kill at least 21 in Ukraine's Odesa region . 2022-07-02 . ABC News . en.
  12. News: Правительство ФРГ назвало военным преступлением обстрел Одесской области . FPR government said the missile strike in Odesa Oblast is a war crime . ru-RU . Deutsche Welle.
  13. Web site: Ukraine: Civilians killed by 'reckless' Russian attacks on Serhiivka apartment block and beach resort . 7 July 2022 . . 8 July 2022.