Orthodox Cathedral In Odesa Severely Damaged In Russian Missile Strikes
- By RFE/RL
One person was killed and 22 wounded, including four children, in fresh Russian missile strikes on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, Ukrainian officials said on July 23. The Transfiguration Cathedral of the Moscow-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) was severely damaged in the attacks.
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Also known as the Spaso-Preobrazhenskiy Cathedral, it is Odesa's largest Orthodox church and was consecrated in 1809. It was destroyed by the Soviet authorities in 1939 but rebuilt in 2003.
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Ukraine's Southern Operational Command said Odesa was targeted with at least five types of missiles, including high-precision Onyx missiles, sea-to-shore Kalibr cruise missiles, and Iskander ballistic missiles.
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“Missiles against peaceful cities, against residential buildings, a cathedral.... There can be no excuse for Russian evil. As always, this evil will lose. And there will definitely be a retaliation to Russian terrorists for Odesa. They will feel this retaliation,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a post on Twitter.
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A view shows a residential building damaged during the Russian missile strikes in Odesa on July 23.
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One person was killed and 19 wounded, including four children, in the Russian attacks.
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Odesa has been bombed several times since the start of the invasion, and in January the United Nations cultural agency UNESCO designated the historic center of the city as a World Heritage in Danger site.
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