Russia: an officers’ club where Ukrainian soldiers were trained was target of Vinnytsia attack

“Russia only strikes military facilities in Ukraine. The Vinnytsia missile strike targeted an officers’ club where Ukrainian soldiers were trained,”

Evgeny Varganov, senior adviser to the Russian permanent mission to the UN, says.

In post-Soviet countries, unlike in the West, an “officers’ club” is a term used to describe a recreation facility formerly used by servicemen and their families for leisure. The buildings are now mainly used as concert halls in the region and have completely lost any relation with armed forces both in Russia and Ukraine.

“Ukraine remains silent in regard to a missile strike upon nova Kakhovka which happened two days ago,” Varganov continued. “They are killing their own citizens on their own territory.”

Ukraine’s accusations are baseless, Varganov says. “Moreover, Ukraine delivered a missile strike upon Donetsk today.”

A total of 23 people, including three children, were killed in today’s missile strike in Vinnytsia, 39 more are missing, according to the data provided by Ukraine’s State Emergency Service. 117 people were injured, 69 of them were hospitalised. 34 people suffered serious injuries, five more are in critical condition.

Dozens of people have been detained by Ukraine’s police and security agencies, Channel 24 reports. The country’s Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky suspects the attack was prepared with the help of local spotters.

The strike was delivered at 10:50 local time and hit a parking lot near a local shopping centre; 25 vehicles were destroyed.