The military barracks in the northern city of Mykolaiv was completely devastated after being hit by six rockets on Friday.
The Russians “cowardly carried out missile strikes against sleeping soldiers. A relief operation is still continuing,” said the regional governor of Mykolaiv Vitalli Kim this Saturday morning in a video posted on Facebook.
For the time being, no official assessment has been given, but the first testimonies show a very heavy assessment. Dozens of soldiers were reportedly killed in the attack by Russian forces, according to reporters from Swedish affiliate CNN Expressen who were at the scene.
Expressen correspondent Magnus Falkehed and photojournalist Niclas Hammarström reported that around 6 a.m. local time on Friday “two Russian warplanes dropped what appeared to be bombs” destroying several barrack buildings.
On the spot, rescuers used shovels and their bare hands to free survivors from the rubble of buildings.
strategic city
In a dramatic video filmed by Expressen, a Ukrainian soldier is seen being pulled alive from the rubble. AFP journalists also saw three dead at the site, including a shredded body. A survivor was also extracted.
According to Expressen who quoted one of the surviving soldiers, Serhil, 54, who slept in the barracks across from where the attack took place, saying: “Of the approximately 200 who were there, I guess ‘about 90% did not survive’.
Mykolaiv and its region are the scene of heavy fighting and Russian bombardments. The city is strategic because it is the last lock before the great port city of Odessa. In recent days, a school had also been bombed.