NBC News reports that at least six people were killed and seven others wounded in a bombing in the southern Odesa region, according to Ukraine’s General Office of the National Police
The casualties occurred in the city of Podolsk as Russian forces continue military operations in Ukraine. It’s the first announcement of any casualties as the situation in the region unfolds Thursday.
Conditions on the seven people injured in the bombing are not yet clear. There are 19 people unaccounted for in the bombing, authorities said.
NBC News reporters in the central capital of Kyiv and the northeast city of Kharkiv had reported hearing loud explosions or thuds just minutes Putin’s announcement. The attacks ended hopes for a diplomatic solution that the United States and its allies had been attempting for weeks.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted that “Putin has just launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.” Prior to Putin’s announcement, Zelenskyy said he tried to call the Russian leader but was rebuffed.
President Joe Biden said that he would meet with world leaders to impose “severe sanctions” in the wake of the Russian attack.
