Anger and irony in Ukraine: pro-Russian politician injured after attack on ‘Harry Potter castle’ in Odesa | Abroad

In addition to Kivalov, 31 other people were injured. Among them are two children and a pregnant woman. Six people are in such serious condition that they are in intensive care. Five people died. According to the Ukrainian news agency Suspilne, the air force warned of a missile attack with ballistic weapons just before the impact.

Investigation showed on Tuesday that a cluster bomb had gone off, public prosecutor Andrii Kostin reported Kyiv Independent. With the aim of “killing as many civilians as possible,” he adds. That would mean that there has been a war crime. Something that the Ukrainian authorities have been investigating since Monday evening.

Online, angry Ukrainians share photos of a grieving owner whose dog died. There is also mourning for the university castle, of which at least the roof burned down. Many scientific documents have been lost, it is feared.

This is an iconic building that could not be missed on the Black Sea coast. The building literally towered over its surroundings, causing it to be compared to Harry Potter’s Hogwarts castle. A lot of splendor and splendor was hidden behind the fences, as became apparent nine years ago when pro-Ukrainian nationalists stormed the building. They forced open the gates and took pictures of the luxurious interior.

The activists targeted owner Serhi Kivalov. He was a member of parliament for the pro-Russian Party of Regions, led by former president Viktor Yanukovych, among others. Kivalov led the electoral commission when the Russian-leaning Yanukovych emerged victorious in 2004. Ukrainians accuse him of fraud, which led to the Orange Revolution and ultimately new elections. In 2020, Kivalov tried to become mayor of Odesa, promising to protect the city’s Russian-speaking residents.

In 2013, Kivalov received an award from Russian President Vladimir Putin. He and several other regional politicians were thanked for their ‘important contribution to the preservation and promotion of the Russian language abroad’. The fact that he has now been injured by a missile from the same country has provoked cynical reactions. ‘Karma is a bitchresponds someone who says he lives near the site of the attack.

The Party for the Regions is now banned and Kivalov is no longer a politician. In recent years he headed the legal department of the National University, which was located in the iconic building, and also lived there himself.

The attack took place around 6:30 p.m. At that time it was busy in the park around the university building. People studied, played sports outside, walked their dogs or played with their children. “Monsters. Beasts. Wild ones. Scum. I don’t know what else to say,” Odesa Mayor Hennady Trukhanov said in a video on Telegram. “People are taking a walk along the sea and they are shooting and killing.”

President Zelensky expressed his condolences to the relatives in his daily evening speech. Tuesday has been declared a day of mourning in Odesa.

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