A 3-month-old baby was among those killed Saturday in a Russian missile strike on Odesa, Ukrainian authorities say.
At least eight civilians were killed in the attack on a residential area, according to local authorities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a fiery speech after the carnage, said he was at a loss for words.
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“A 3-month-old child died… The war began when this child was a month old… Try to grasp that. Bloody bastards—I have no other words,” he said.
In a video from the scene, Odesa Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov called Russian forces “scum” and said they should “burn in hell.”
Standing in front of the bombed-out apartment building, he said: “Right behind my back is what the Russian occupiers call a ‘military target.’ That which they struck today with their highly precise weapons, they call that a ‘military target.’”
Ukrainian President Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, responded on Telegram to the attack, writing, “Nothing is sacred… Evil will be punished.”
Doubling down on previous attacks, Russia also resumed the firing off of missiles in pursuit of its quest to take possession of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, turning its specific focus to the Azovstal steel plant, which remains a Ukrainian hub.
According to The Washington Post, the accusation of continued Russian aggression came Saturday from an adviser close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“The enemy is trying to suppress the last resistance of the defenders of Mariupol,” The Post reported Zelensky aide Oleksiy Arestovych stating in a video posted to Telegram. “Our defenders are withstanding it, despite a very difficult situation, and are even carrying out counter maneuvers.”
Rescue team and firefighters clean rubbles after missile attack by Russia hit a residential house in Odessa, Ukraine
Anadolu AgencyThe move follows Russian leader Vladimir Putin telling his troops on Thursday not to “storm the site but to seal it off,” The Daily Beast reported.
“The renewed focus on Mariupol came after Zelensky warned late Friday that Russia poses a threat to more countries in the region, cautioning that the invasion of Ukraine was ‘intended only as a beginning’ and that the Russians want to capture other countries,’” the report continued.
The Daily Beast reported Saturday that despite attempts made by Russia’s enlisted forces, they have been unsuccessful in taking over the plant, despite having the support of heavy artillery fire on their side.
Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko accused Russian forces of having “thwarted” civilian evacuation efforts out of the city on Saturday.
