In today's Russian ballistic missile attack on a residential area in the Ukrainian Black Sea port city of Odesa, at least 20 people were killed and more than 70 were wounded, Ukrainian officials reported, Reuters reports.
The previous balance was 14 dead and 46 wounded.
Reuters reports, citing Ukrainian officials, that this is Moscow's deadliest attack in recent weeks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia would receive a "fair response" from Ukrainian forces for what he called a "vile" attack on a city that has been attacked by Russian drones or missiles almost every day this month.
Two Iskander-M missiles fired from the Russian-occupied Crimea peninsula damaged civilian infrastructure and gas and electricity supply lines in the southern city, regional governor Oleh Kiper said on national television.
"A doctor and a rescuer were killed by the second rocket after rushing to the scene to treat people injured in the first attack. Ten people were seriously injured," Kiper said.
Local officials and national police said police officers were among the dead, including at least two senior officers.
The former deputy mayor was also killed.
"The explosion was very strong, especially the second one. This is a very powerful rocket that will fly from occupied Crimea in a few minutes," Kiper said.
Some residents, he said, were facing interruptions in the supply of gas and electricity due to the attack.
Zelenski announced the answer
"Our defense forces will certainly do everything to make the Russian killers feel our honest response," Zelensky said in the Telegram application.
Residents rushed to donate blood, creating queues at medical centers.
Saturday was declared a local day of mourning.
The attack destroyed a three-story recreational facility, as well as at least ten private houses, the Southern Military Command announced.
The bodies were placed in protective foil blankets, while dozens of rescuers fought to put out the fire and continued to clear the rubble.
Odesa, one of Ukraine's largest ports, has long been the target of Russian attacks, particularly after Moscow abandoned a United Nations (UN)-brokered deal that allowed safe passage of Ukrainian grain shipments across the Black Sea.
"The Russian terror in Odessa is a sign of the enemy's weakness, which is fighting against Ukrainian civilians at a time when it cannot guarantee the safety of people on its own territory," wrote the chief of staff of the Ukrainian president, Andriy Yermak, on Telegram.
Moscow denies targeting civilians in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine it launched in February 2022, although many have been killed in frequent Russian airstrikes across the country.
Ukraine has developed and used long-range drones to try to strike back at Russia, stepping up attacks on a number of oil refineries this week ahead of Russia's March 15-17 presidential election.
Ukraine attacked a small refinery in Russia's Kaluga region with drones early on Friday, in an operation carried out by the military's spy agency GUR, a Ukrainian intelligence source told Reuters.
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