Pro-Russian authorities have accused Kyiv forces of firing a missile at a hotel in Kherson, a Russian-occupied city in southern Ukraine, on Sunday, killing two people, including a former MP. These claims could not be immediately independently verified.
“Today at approximately 05:30 (2:30 GMT), the Ukrainian Armed Forces fired a missile at the Play Hotel by Ribas” in Kherson, the Russian occupation regional administration said in a statement.
“According to preliminary data, two people died in this terrorist act,” he added. “Rescue teams are still digging through the rubble looking for victims.”
Former Ukrainian lawmaker among victims, says Russia
A Russian regional administration official, Kirill Stremoussov, said a former Ukrainian deputy, Oleksiy Jouravko, a pro-Russian sympathizer, was among those killed.
According to pro-Russian authorities, this hotel was also housing journalists from the Russian media at the time of the attack. Russian state broadcaster RT published footage it said showed one of its cameramen being pulled from a pile of rubble.
The announcement of this strike comes as pro-Russian authorities in four Moscow-controlled areas of Ukraine, including the Kherson region, have been organizing “referendums” since Friday to ratify an annexation of these territories by Russia. These elections, described as “simulacra” by Kyiv and its Western allies, are due to take place until Tuesday.
The city of Kherson fell under the control of Russian forces at the start of Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine in late February. It is located in an area where Kyiv forces have been leading a large-scale counteroffensive for several weeks.
Source: BFM TV
