War in Ukraine: deadly strikes near Odessa

A hotel destroyed by a Russian bombardment in Serhiïvka, near Odessa, on July 1, 2022. © Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Handout via REUTERS

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1 min

At least 18 people were killed in the bombardment of several buildings in the Odessa region of Ukraine.

This bombardment comes as the Russians had just withdrawn from Serpents' Island, further west, a strategic island that Moscow had taken at the start of the war.

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The Russians fired two missiles.

The first, by plane, from the Black Sea, hit around 1 a.m. local time (11 p.m. UT) a nine-storey residential building in the Bilgorod-Dniester region, 80 km south of Odessa, according to the spokesperson. of the administration of the Odessa region, Serguiï Bratchouk.

Rescue operations are still underway in the building, part of which has collapsed.

The second missile, fired by the same plane, hit a nearby hotel complex, Ukrainian authorities said.

These strikes come as NATO, closing its summit in Madrid Thursday, June 30, promised its "

" in Kiev.

Several Member States have also announced new military aid: more than one billion euros for the United Kingdom, 800 million dollars for the United States.

Keeping up the pressure, despite the withdrawal of Île aux Serpents

Moscow may have wanted to mark the spirits with these attacks after

Island, an island located west of Odessa, a strategic island for the control of maritime routes.

The Ukrainian military claims that the Russians found themselves " 

 ".

Russia speaks of a withdrawal " 

 ", its objectives " 

 ".

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