Explosion at military base near Odesa leaves 18 Ukrainian dead
An explosion at a Ukrainian military base in the village of Lipetske in Odesa oblast killed 18 Ukrainians, the Odesa state administration told the press on Feb. 24.
According to the message, eight man and 10 women are among those killed by the attack, with six injured having been rescued from under the rubble. The survivors are being treated at a local hospital; one of them is in intensive care.
At around 5:00 am on Feb. 24, powerful explosions could be heard in Odesa. Eyewitness accounts suggest they were audible all across the city. According to local news outlet Dumskaya, Ukrainian air defenses in Odesa are firing at enemy aircraft. All flights to and from the city’s airport are cancelled.
Odesa’s municipal government has established an emergency operational headquarters to coordinate the functioning of city’s services. According to officials, the situation remains under control.
Prompted by the Russian invasion, law enforcement has been put on high alert, and checkpoints have been established around Odesa Oblast.
By the afternoon of Feb. 24, explosions can still be heard around Odesa, with fires breaking out in one of the city’s districts.
In the early hours of Feb. 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops and armor have crossed the border, supported by artillery fire and air strikes, following numerous cruise missile strikes on military and command-and-control infrastructure all across Ukraine in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Ivano-Frankivsk, Mykolaiv, and other cities.
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