Vladimir Putin was branded a “sick terrorist” today after Russia staged a major overnight strike on civilian targets in the Ukrainian city of Odesa, destroying a nightclub and apartment buildings.
Horrific footage showed the moment a missile and a kamikaze drone hit the strategic port city exploding into a fireball.
Initial assessments suggested at least one person was killed and eight were wounded including a boy, aged nine.
Another 22-year-old man was said to be in a serious condition in hospital.
Authorities told how the third floor of a residential building in the city centre was completely destroyed and set ablaze by one strike.
A heating plant for 40,000 residents, 11 schools and a number of kindergartens was also damaged. And a maternity hospital had to be shut down due to damage in freezing temperatures.
There were 28 women in labour and 22 babies in the hospital, authorities said.
“Another Russian terrorist attack in Odesa,” said the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, Andriy Yermak.
“Strike on a residential building.
“Putin simply enjoys fighting civilians. He respects no one, just a sick terrorist.”
Odesa regional governor Ole Kiper said: “A multi-storey residential building was destroyed in the centre of Odesa.
“Apartments were set on fire, high-rise apartments were damaged, along with about 30 cars.
“Enemy fire also damaged the main central heating pipeline.
Ukraine, meanwhile, launched its own drone strike on Krasnodar region in Russia, targeting a military airfield in Krymsk, according to local residents.
Head of the Krymsk district Sergei Les, said 46 drones were shot down over the municipality.The defence ministry said a lesser figure – 36 – had been shot down across the Krasnodar region
.
The reason for the discrepancy was not clear.
Regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev said houses had been hit from the debris of downed drones in Krymsk but Astra news outlet suggested the target was the military airfield.
The extent of damage at the airfield is not clear.
But earlier this week, Russian troops suffered the highest number of casualties in a single day since Moscow invaded Ukraine, breaking a grim record set only the day before.
Putin’s forces lost 1,950 of its troops on November 11, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, adding to the 1,770 casualties reported by Kyiv on Sunday.
The estimates suggest that the Russian President’s forces have now lost a total of 712,610 men during the conflict, which started on February 24, 2022.
