Attack on Ukraine city far from frontline kills 22
Russian missiles have struck a city far from the eastern frontline, killing at least 22 people including three children, Ukrainian officials say.
Some 100 more were reported injured in the attack in Vinnytsia, to the south-west of Kyiv and a long way from the heart of the fighting in Donbas.
Three Russian missiles hit an office block and damaged residential buildings.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called it “an open act of terrorism”.
The missiles hit the car park of the nine-storey office block at around 10:50 (07:50 GMT), Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said. Residential buildings were also hit in the centre of Vinnytsia, which has a population of around 370,000.
The Russian defence ministry, which denies targeting civilians, has yet to comment on the strike.
The Ukrainian presidency said the attack had come from Kalibr cruise missiles launched from a submarine in the Black Sea.
A senior regional emergency service official told local TV that there was “probably no chance of finding anyone who survived” the attack.
“Every day, Russia kills civilians, kills Ukrainian children, carries out missile attacks on the civilian facilities where there is no military target. What is this, if not an open act of terrorism?” Mr Zelensky said in a statement on social media.
The attack came as EU foreign and justice ministers were due to meet in The Hague for a conference on alleged Russian war crimes.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba accused Russia of committing “another war crime” with the attack on Vinnytsia.
“We will put Russian war criminals on trial for every drop of Ukrainian blood and tears,” he wrote.
Ukrainian pop singer Roxolana was due to play a show tonight at a concert hall in the city, but the venue was destroyed in the attack.
She posted on Instagram that all of her team were injured and one died. One of her team is fighting for his life,” she said.
“We pray for their lives and the lives of all those affected today,” she wrote. “We will never forgive.”