INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A Russian missile attack struck the center of the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa on Friday evening, wounding at least seven people and
damaging historic buildings, officials said.The Black Sea city known for its picturesque streets of 19th-century buildings is regularly
targeted by Russian strikes, often on its port area."Currently, seven people are known to have been injured in the attack by Russian
terrorists on the historical center of Odesa," the regional Governor Oleh Kiper wrote on social media.All were in "moderate" condition, he
said, and receiving medical assistance.Kiper said in earlier posts that two women and a child were among the wounded.Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelensky condemned what he called an "absolutely deliberate attack by Russian terrorists," saying it was fortunate that it caused
no deaths.Kiper posted photos showing rescuers wheeling a woman on a stretcher outside the city's historic Hotel Bristol
The photos also show damage to the 19th-century hotel's ornate facade and interior, including a grand staircase.Ukraine's emergency
service posted video showing debris littering the street outside the Bristol and a woman with dust on her clothes being helped by
rescuers.It said firefighters had rescued a woman trapped in her room on the second floor and extinguished a fire on the roof."Among the
people who were at the epicenter of the attack were Norwegian diplomatic representatives," Zelensky said."There is a lot of damage and
destruction in the UNESCO-protected area," Odesa's Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov said.Odesa's historic center is on UNESCO's World Heritage
2023."As a result of the explosions, a number of historical monuments, including the Literary, Historical and Local Lore, Archaeological
Museums, Museum of Western and Eastern Art, and the Philharmonic, have had their windows smashed and their facades damaged," Kiper
said.Ukrainian media posted photos showing what appeared to be a large crater near the hotel and fallen masonry, blown-out windows and
debris littering the floor inside.Russian military bloggers alleged that foreign military specialists were staying in the hotel.
