Russian missile kills eight in Odesa after Scholz-Putin diplomatic talk

A Russian missile strike hit a residential district of Odesa on 18 November, killing eight people and injuring 39 others, including 4 children.

Russia targets civilian and energy infrastructure in Ukraine to disrupt daily life and demoralise the population in their resistance to Russian aggression. Russian attacks are considered to be war crimes under the international law. 

Local Telegram channels documented the aftermath with footage showing smoke rising from residential courtyards and bodies lying on the city streets. 

39 people were wounded, including 4 children aged 7, 10, and two 11-year-olds. Four of the wounded are in critical condition, according to the head of Odesa Oblast Military Administration Oleh Kiper.

The strike damaged multiple structures, including an apartment building, a university, and an administrative facility, President Zelenskyy wrote.

“These are not random strikes – these are demonstrative strikes. After calls and meetings with Putin, after all the false rumors in the media about supposed “restraint” from strikes. Russia shows what it’s really interested in: only war,” Zelenskyy said.

He connected the timing to recent diplomatic exchanges between Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. 

On 15 November, Olaf Scholz and Vladimir Putin held their first phone conversation in two years after the full-scale invasion began.  During the call, Scholz condemned Russia’s aggressive actions in Ukraine, urging an end to hostilities and the withdrawal of Russian troops. In response, Putin attributed the crisis to NATO’s “expansion”policies and expressed openness to negotiations, only by keeping the already captured territories.

On 17 November, Russia launched 120 missiles and 90 drones on the energy infrastructure in Ukraine, killing two energy sector workers and injuring a 17-year-old in Odesa Oblast. Three private houses caught fire, and four others sustained partial damage. In response to the extensive power outages, Odesa Governor announced that all educational institutions in the city would be closed on 18-19 November.

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