Russian attack leaves at least nine dead at Mykolaiv government building, says Ukraine

At least nine people died and 22 were injured on Tuesday when a rocket hit the regional administration building in the southern Ukrainian port city of Mykolaiv, the Ukrainian emergency service said.

In an online post, the agency said 18 of the injured had been pulled from the rubble by rescue workers who continued to work at the site.

One image showed a large hole in the side of the building. Witnesses saw the destruction in the distance and ambulances and fire engines heading to the scene. The area was cordoned off by Ukrainian authorities.

The Russian attack demolished half the building, according to Governor Vitalii Kim.

Russian forces attack Ukraine’s southern ports, including Kherson, Odesa, Mykolaiv and Mariupol, as they try to isolate Ukraine from the Black Sea and establish a land corridor from Russia to Crimea, the peninsula Russia annexed in 2014.

“They [os russos] they hit the regional administration building, they demolished half the building, they hit my office. Most people were miraculously saved,” Kim said in a statement on Telegram.

“Eight civilians are under the rubble, we are looking for them. 50-100 people left. We are also looking for three military personnel,” she added.

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said the attack hit the nine-story building on Tuesday morning at around 8:45 am local time.

“The central part of the building, from the ninth to the first floors, was destroyed, without the fire having taken place,” the statement said. “At 11:30 am, rescuers pulled one dead from the rubble, 18 of those rescued were hospitalized. Rescuers are working at the scene.”

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special military operation” to disarm and “denazify” its neighbor. The Russians deny targeting civilians. Ukraine and the West say Russian President Vladimir Putin has launched an unprovoked war.

*With information from Reuters