Dozens of Ukrainian soldiers are feared to have been killed after a military base was attacked amid Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Up to 200 troops were thought to have been inside the barracks in Mykolaiv, in the south of the war-torn country, when they were targeted on Friday.
At least 50 bodies have been recovered, a Ukrainian serviceman told the AFP news agency.
“We do not know how many others are in the rubble,” he added.
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A Ukrainian soldier appears emotional at the scene of the attack. Pic: VTM
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Belgian media outlet VTM visited the scene of the missile attack and filmed the destruction caused, as dead bodies were pulled from the rubble.
A source at a morgue told the broadcaster that 80 people were believed to have been killed.
A soldier called Alexander who survived the attack said he was woken by the sound of explosions at about 6am.
He told VTM: “I heard the first explosion, I woke up and took my gun, and then came the most devastating explosion.
“I will never forget it, it shook everything up.
“There was no more air to breathe. I put on this mask and sat down closer to the floor, took my gun, and turned on the light on my phone.
“It wasn’t until I got outside that I realised what had happened.”
Emergency workers search through the rubble at the base. Pic: VTM
At least two missiles reportedly hit the military base. Pic: VTM
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VTM said at least two missiles hit the military base.
The death toll has not been confirmed by Ukrainian authorities because the attack involved a military site, according to reports.
Alexander said his colleagues “keep dying for Ukraine because of one stupid dwarf who wants war” and “wants to test his weapons”, in an apparent reference to Vladimir Putin.
He added: “I don’t want to think about it, I don’t like to cry, but sometimes the emotional blow is too hard.”