On the night of April 24, Russian military forces launched another massive strike on residential areas and civilian infrastructure in Odesa. According to the State Emergency Service, these shellings resulted in the deaths of two people and injuries to another 14.
This is reported by Finway
Destruction of housing and rescue operations
In particular, as a result of a direct hit on a three-story residential building, apartments were destroyed and a large fire broke out, injuring six people. Two two-story residential buildings were also completely destroyed, where rescuers saved one person and evacuated another twenty residents, including two children. In this case, seven people were injured. Additionally, an enemy drone attacked another two-story building: two people were killed, one was injured, and 16 residents were evacuated from the building.
“As a result of the strike on the three-story residential building, apartments were destroyed and a fire broke out. Six people were injured. Two two-story residential buildings were destroyed, where firefighters saved one person and evacuated another 20 people (including 2 children). Seven people were injured. An enemy drone also hit a two-story building. Unfortunately, two people were killed, and one person was injured. Sixteen residents were evacuated from the building,” the report states.
Consequences and international reaction
Psychologists from the State Emergency Service worked throughout the night at the sites of the tragedies, providing assistance to over 50 residents, including three children, who were in a state of severe stress.
Russian troops systematically use drone strikes, missiles, guided bombs, and multiple launch rocket systems against cities in Ukraine, destroying residential buildings and critical infrastructure. Ukrainian authorities and international organizations classify such attacks as war crimes of the Russian Federation, emphasizing their deliberate and widespread nature.
Shelling of energy, water supply, medical, and other vital facilities is classified as evidence of genocidal actions. Human rights defenders emphasize that during the full-scale war, Russia is committing crimes that fall under the definition of genocide, including public statements about the destruction of the Ukrainian people, restricting access to essential resources, deporting children, and destroying Ukrainian cultural identity.
The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948, obligates 149 participating states to prevent acts of genocide and punish them in both peacetime and wartime. According to this convention, genocide includes actions aimed at the complete or partial destruction of a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group, including killings, creating unbearable living conditions, forcibly transferring children, and publicly inciting such actions.
Despite these facts, the leadership of Russia continues to deny carrying out deliberate attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, as well as the fact of mass casualties among the civilian population and the destruction of hospitals, schools, kindergartens, energy, and water supply facilities.