PHOTO Consequences of the attack: Inside the heavily damaged Orthodox church in Odessa

The Reuters agency published photos of the heavily damaged Orthodox Church of the Transfiguration in the Ukrainian city of Odessa.

Ukrainian officials announced that the church belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UPC) was heavily damaged in this morning's Russian shelling.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that a Ukrainian air defense missile (APV) most likely fell on the church.

"The Kasper icon of the Virgin Mary, who is the patroness of Odessa, was pulled out from under the ruins," the Odessa Military Administration announced on its Telegram channel, Reuters reported.

In the attack on Odessa, at least one person was killed and around 20 were injured.

UPC is the second largest church in Ukraine, because now the majority of Ukrainian Orthodox believers belong to a special branch that was formed four years ago by uniting branches independent of the Russian government - the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (PCU).

Ukraine has accused the UPC of maintaining ties with the Russian Orthodox Church, which backs the invasion of Ukraine and was once its mother church, but the UPC says it severed ties with it last May.