Russian missile strike on Vinnytsia kills more than 20, injures dozens

The victims include three children

A Russian missile strike in the central Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia killed at least 21 people, including three children, and injured dozens more, according to Ukraine's State Emergency Service. At least 42 people are still missing, 91 people have sought medical treatment, and 52 have been hospitalized — 34 of them in critical condition. 55 buildings and 40 vehicles were damaged.

According to the Ukrainian authorities, three Russian missiles hit an office building. Other damaged buildings include an officers’ club, several nearby residential buildings, and a hospital. The Ukrainian President's Office reported that the strike was carried out by Kalibr cruise missiles fired from a submarine in the Black Sea. According to Vinnytsia regional governor Serhiy Borzov, four additional missiles were shot down over the city by anti-aircraft defenses.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the strike a terrorist attack. “Every day, Russia kills civilians, murders Ukrainian children, and fires missiles at civilian infrastructure — in places where there are no military targets. What is that if not an overt terrorist attack?” said Zelensky.

The Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on the attack. RT head Margarita Simonyan claimed that when she asked the ministry where the strike was aimed, she was told the military’s target was “the officers’ club, where there was a temporary accommodation point for Nazis.”

Both Ukrainian and Russian media outlets have reported that the officers’ club is a cultural center, not a military facility. On July 14, Ukrainian singer Roxolana was scheduled to give a concert there. She said on Instagram that one of her crew members was killed in the strike.

Designer and blogger Irina Dmitrieva moved with her four-year-old daughter to Vinnytsia from Kyiv in February to be with her mother after the start of the war. Her daughter was killed in the strike, and Dmitrieva lost one of her legs. The video below was taken by Dmitrieva less than two hours before the missile hit the city.

The Vinnytsia regional prosecutor has begun a war crimes investigation. Search operations at the site are ongoing.

Under wartime conditions, it is not always possible for journalists to promptly verify official statements. This is a developing story.