Yahoo Finance At Least 19 Killed by Russian Missile Strike on Residential Block Near Odesa, Ukraine
Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP
An early-morning Russian airstrike killed 19 people, including two children, in a town 30 miles southwest of the Ukrainian port city of Odesa on Friday, according to the Associated Press.
The pre-dawn attack struck a multistorey apartment building and two campsites in the small town of Serhiivka around 2 am local time (1700 EST), reported The Guardian. The majority of those killed and injured were inside the apartment building, added the outlet.
A total of 39 other people were also injured in the attack, the AP continued, including six children and a pregnant woman.
Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP
"A terrorist country is killing our people. In response to defeats on the battlefield, they fight civilians," Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, told the AP.
Odesa's military spokesperson Sergei Bratchuk also confirmed that an "enemy missile" hit the city via a Telegram post, reported The Guardian. "Unfortunately, there are casualties," he added.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer.
The deadly attack comes one day after Russian forces withdrew from nearby Snake Island, where they had been deployed since the early days of the Ukrainian invasion, in hopes of using it as a staging ground to attack Odesa, according to the AP.
RELATED: Former U.S. Marine Killed in Ukraine War, Leaves Behind Wife and New Baby
The Kremlin "portrayed the departure of Russian troops from Snake Island as a 'goodwill gesture,'" the AP added.
On Monday, a missile strike also killed at least 19 people and injured another 62 at a shopping mall in Kremenchuk, a city in central Ukraine.
Stephen Zabielski
"They wanted to kill as many people as possible in a peaceful city, in a regular shopping mall," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in his nightly address to the nation on Monday.
On June. 21 the U.S. State Department also confirmed the death of a second American citizen in Ukraine, telling CNN that Stephen Zablieski, 52, had sadly passed away.
The spokesperson added that the department had been in touch with Zablieski's family and "provided all popular consular assistance."
"Out of respect to the family during this difficult time, we have nothing further," the spokesperson told CNN.
The Russian attack on Ukraine is an evolving story, with information changing quickly. Follow PEOPLE's complete coverage of the war here, including stories from citizens on the ground and ways to help.
