KYIV, Ukraine (news agencies) — A Russian missile strike on Odesa in southern Ukraine on Friday killed at least 14 people and injured 46 others, local officials said.
A first missile struck houses and when emergency crews arrived at the scene a second missile landed, authorities said. Among those killed were a paramedic and an emergency service worker.
The attack occurred as Russians voted in a presidential election that is all but certain to extend Vladimir Putin’s rule by another six years after he crushed dissent and as the war in Ukraine stretches into its third year.
At least 10 houses in Odesa and some emergency service equipment were damaged in the attack, which started a blaze, according to Ukraine’s Emergency Service and regional Gov. Oleh Kiper.
The tactic of firing a second missile at the same location, aiming to hit rescuers, is known in military terms as a double tap. Such strikes often hit civilians.
Overnight, two people were killed and three wounded in Ukraine’s central Vinnytsia region after Russia struck a building with a drone, according to regional Gov. Serhii Borzov.
The Ukrainian air force said it shot down all 27 Shahed drones that Russia launched over Kharkiv, Vinnytsia, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Khmelnytskyi and Kyiv regions.
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