Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Rescuers killed by second missile
FIRST responders who arrived at the scene of a Russian missile attack on homes in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa yesterday were themselves struck by a second missile, officials said.
A paramedic and an emergency service worker were among the 16 people killed.
Officials said 53 other people were wounded in the attack on houses in the port city.
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 governor 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. Strikes often hit civilians.
Mr Kiper announced that a day of mourning in Odesa will be held today – the second such observance in less than two weeks.
On March 2, a Russian drone struck a multi-storey building, killing 12 people, including five children.
Since last summer, Russia has intensified its attacks on Odesa, a southern port city with a population of around one million residents.
The attacks have primarily targeted port infrastructure, aiming to disrupt the export of goods after Ukraine managed to restore maritime navigation with a series of successful operations in the Black Sea.
Moscow officials have also claimed they are aiming at facilities where Ukrainian sea drones are stored for attacks on Russia’s Black Sea fleet.
The Odesa region’s ports were key to last year’s international agreement that let Ukraine and Russia ship their grain to the rest of the world.