Associated media – Connected media
Bomb disposal experts and human rights groups have said those bomblets, which are mass-produced and inexpensively made, generally have a 20 percent failure rate, often leaving behind hazardous duds that can explode later if mishandled. Because they are small, those duds can lay unnoticed among debris or vegetation and weigh so little that children can pick them up without realizing their danger.
If confirmed, their use in Monday’s attack could mark an escalation in Russia’s tactics that are intended to make life miserable for Ukrainian civilians, including bombing power plants to cut off electricity to major cities. Moscow has repeatedly targeted urban centers in recent weeks, sometimes using weapons usually reserved for combat zones.
The area targeted in Monday’s attack is popular with locals, who often take walks there. A nearby Gothic-style building known locally as the “Harry Potter Castle,” which houses a private law academy, was engulfed in flames after the attack.
“The Russians fired a ballistic missile with a cluster munition at one of the most popular locations among Odesa residents and visitors, where people were walking their children, dogs, playing sports,” Mr. Kiper said on social networks.
Mr. Kiper said a dog had also been killed in the attack. Unverified pictures from the attack’s aftermath showed a woman in sportswear kneeling over a bloodied white dog, as well as a woman lying at the foot of a bench next to a pavement with marks of impact.
Linked media – Linked media