The death toll from an attack by Russian forces on the central Ukrainian city of Vinitsia has risen to 22, including three children, the deputy head of the Ukrainian president’s office, Kirilo Tymoshenko, has said.

“So far, 22 people are known to have died as a result of the rocket attack on the city, including three children,” she said in a message on her Telegram account.

He has also stated that “the Russians have hit the center of Vinitsia with ‘Kalibr’ cruise missiles launched from a submarine in the Black Sea”, without Moscow has so far made a statement on what happened. “Rescue operations are still active”, said Tymoshenko, who shortly before had indicated that “it is another crime of the occupants against the peaceful city”.

The National Police of Ukraine has informed that for the moment six corpses have already been identified. It has also asked the next of kin of the missing to go to the local authorities so that genetic samples can be taken from them to speed up the recognition of the rest of the victims.

The chief of police, Ihor Klimenko, said that 39 people were missing, while about fifty people were injured to varying degrees. In terms of material damage, more than fifty buildings were affected, as were more than forty vehicles.

According to the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform, the shells hit an office building, which was completely destroyed, while several residential buildings in the vicinity suffered material damage.

For his part, the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, condemned what happened in the city of Vinitsia, which he described as “normal and peaceful”, and denounced the damage to several civilian buildings, including a medical clinic.

“Cars and streetcars were on fire. This is a bold act of Russian terror. Humans could not do that, it is befitting of animals. Eight missiles, two of which hit the city center,” he lamented.