(CNN) — At least five people were killed and more than 30 injured on Monday in a Russian missile attack on the Black Sea port city of Odessa, according to Ukrainian authorities.
A dramatic video of the attack, released by the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office, shows dozens of bombs exploding just seconds apart in an area near the seafront.
An educational center known as “Harry Potter Castle” burns after a Russian missile attack in Odessa, Ukraine, on April 29. (Credit: Sergey Smolentsev/Reuters)
Other videos and images shared by authorities show how flames engulfed the cone-shaped towers and roof of an educational center known locally as “Harry Potter Castle” for its resemblance to a Scottish baronial font.
Ukrainian authorities believe Russia used an Iskander ballistic missile and cluster munitions to carry out the attack.
“Metal fragments and missile remains were recovered within a 1.5 km radius of the attack site,” said Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin. He added that “the investigation has reason to believe” that the Russian military used cluster munitions with the intention of causing large numbers of casualties.
He said among the 30 people injured in the attack were two children and a pregnant woman.
Nearly 20 residential buildings and infrastructure facilities were also damaged in the attack.
The use, transfer and production of cluster munitions are prohibited by an international treaty known as the Convention on Cluster Munitions. However, neither side – not even the United States – has signed the convention.
Cluster munitions have been used by both sides in the war and were transferred to Ukraine by the United States as part of a military aid package last year.
Russia claims it intercepted an attack
Meanwhile, Russian authorities say Crimean air defenses managed to intercept a major missile and drone attack by Ukraine.
The top civilian official in occupied Crimea, Sergei Aksionov, appointed by the Kremlin, warned the population not to approach possible unexploded explosive devices, while one of his officials urged people not to record or publish videos of the Russian air defenses in action.
Russian military bloggers said the targets were airfields.
The bridge linking Crimea to Russia, a vital supply artery for the ongoing Russian war effort, was temporarily closed to traffic but has since reopened.
Russian authorities claimed that the attack was carried out primarily with six US-supplied Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), which were successfully shot down by air defences.
Ukraine has not commented and CNN cannot verify Russia’s claims. Unusually, hardly any videos or images of the explosions have emerged.
