Russian shelling hit residential areas of the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv on Monday, killing two people and destroying homes, city officials and witnesses said.
A Reuters correspondent at the scene said the strike hit a family home directly next to a school, killing one woman. Both houses on the property were left in ruins, with large craters gouged out of the ground in front.
Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych said on Telegram at least two people had been killed and residential homes and educational institutions had been hit. The local governor, Vitaliy Kim, said on Telegram that 24 people had also been injured.
The owner of the home, Olexandr Shulga, told Reuters he grew up in the home and had lived there his entire life. His wife died at the scene, Shulga said.
Police, military officials and Ukrainian war crimes prosecutors were at the site in a residential neighborhood of Mykolaiv.
Why is Russia targeting Mykolaiv?
A shipbuilding center and a port on the Southern Bug river just off the Black Sea, Mykolaiv has suffered heavy Russian bombardments throughout the war. It is also the main transport hub.
The attack took place as Ukraine announced the start of its long-awaited southern counter-offensive, including in Kherson region which lies southeast of Mykolaiv.