Russian cruise missile attack in Ukraine kills 23, injures 100

On the 142nd day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces kept up the pressure by bombing several cities, including the central city of Vinnitsa, hundreds of kilometers from the front line, killing 23 people and injuring more than 100 others, including three children under the age of 10.

Ukrainian air force spokesman, Igor Inat saying: “Russian occupation forces from the Black Sea, using calibre cruise missiles, hit the center of Vinnitsa from the submarine.”

Ukrainian officials say Russian patrol missiles fired from a submarine in the Black Sea destroyed clinics, offices, shops and apartments, as well as 50 cars in a car park. The governor of Vinnitsa, about 200 kilometers southwest of the capital Kiev, said Ukrainian air defense systems intercepted two of the four missiles, but many were killed.

Vinnitsa merchant saying: “We live in a beautiful and peaceful city and we are being attacked by rockets. For what?”

The woman, who works on the fourth floor, said an alarm sounded half an hour before the missile struck, but she did not take refuge in a bomb shelter.

Venica resident,saying: “We didn’t go down to the shelter, we were sure it wouldn’t happen here.”

The man was using an ATM and had to rely on the machine for cover.
“The barrier was my only protection. I was lying on the ground and I was covered in glass. I don’t even know if I’m going to survive.

Russia said the attack was aimed at targeting officers’ homes. The Ukrainian president accused Russian forces of deliberately targeting civilians in places of no military value and again called for Russia to be put on a blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism.

Ukrainian president Zelensky saying:”This day proves once again that Russia must be officially designated as a terrorist state, that no other country in the world poses a terrorist threat like Russia, that no other country in the world allows itself to destroy peaceful cities and ordinary people’s lives every day with patrol bombs and rocket launchers.”

The attack on Vinnitsa came as officials from some 40 countries met in the Hague to discuss how to investigate and prosecute war crimes in Ukraine. In his speech, Zelensky also highlighted the death of four-year-old Lisa, whose adorable image was widely shared in the community.

Prosecutor of international Criminal Court Karim Khan saying: “As we speak, children, women and men, young and old, are living in terror and suffering in Ukraine and in many parts of the world.”

More than 20,000 war crimes investigations have been opened, led by teams from different countries, but the evidence needs to be credible and organized, officials present said.

Dutch foreign minister, Wopke Hoekstra,saying: “Like the climate response and the pandemic response, we need an accountability response, a response driven by the universal belief that all of us are protected by the law.”

The southern Ukrainian city of Nikolayev has also been the target of repeated Russian attacks recently, where a hotel was bombed out of recognition and five people were killed on Wednesday. At least 10 other missiles hit two local universities. There are no known casualties.