The Ukrainian authorities have published a surveillance camera recording showing the shelling of Odessa. The attack resulted in a series of explosions. The Russians hit one of the most frequently visited places in the city with a ballistic missile with a cluster charge. At least five people were killed and 32 injured.
On Monday Russian forces shelled Odessa. Alarm sirens sounded in the city at 18.24 local time (17.24 in Poland), and four minutes later the residents heard a loud explosion. The Ukrainian Air Force managed to warn that Odessa may be attacked by ballistic missiles.
At least five people were killed and 32 injured in the attack. As reported by the Ukrainian media, an enemy missile hit the so-called students' palace, belonging to a state university called the Odessa Law Academy.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian authorities released surveillance footage showing a series of explosions triggered by the Russian attack.
Reuters confirmed the authenticity of the recording. The agency managed to determine the location of the camera from which the video material came. The film shows characteristic points, such as a fence or a decorative fountain, which coincided with satellite photos of the area.
“A terrible day for Odessa”
“A terrible day for Odessa,” Oleh Kiper, the head of the Odessa Oblast, wrote on Telegram on Monday. As he added, “The Russians hit one of the most frequently visited places in the city with a ballistic missile with a cluster charge.”
“People were walking there with children, dogs, doing sports… Such projectiles are used to destroy human forces and pose a threat mainly to (ordinary) people, not to (military) equipment or buildings,” Kiper emphasized.
The Russians attacked OdessaPAP/Alena Solomonova
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also commented on Monday's attack. “It is important that all services, all our people, on whose work the lives of Ukrainians depend, are as effective and fast as possible,” said the head of state, quoted by the Interfax-Ukraine agency. The website Suspilne Odesa published photos of the burning students' palace, located directly on the Black Sea.
What is a cluster missile?
Cluster ammunition refers to various types of ammunition whose feature is the release or scattering of the contents of the “cassette”, which consists of bullets (or grenades) containing explosive material, several hundred meters above the selected target.
A cluster missile, which can be launched from the ground or air, scatters several to several hundred smaller projectiles near the target, which explode upon contact with the target. Cluster munitions also leave behind many unexploded ordnance that act as mines.
Many countries have stopped using it in recent decades.
Cluster ammunition PAP