The Odesa Law Academy building in flames following the attack. Photo: EPA-EFE/IGOR TKACHENKO

Five people were killed in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa after Russia struck it with missiles on Monday evening, Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper announced Tuesday.

The death toll rose after a man died in hospital, Kiper wrote, adding that 23 people were receiving medical care. “Four of them are in a critical condition, including a four-year-old girl,” he said.

Odesa mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov condemned Russia for the attack in a post on Telegram, saying that it deliberately targeted civilians.

“People were walking with small children and pets. There are no words that can express what we think about those creatures that are shelling our cities,” he wrote.

The missile hit the Odesa Law Academy, a Gothic-style building known to locals as the “Harry Potter castle”, which was engulfed in flames for hours after the strike.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his condolences to the victims’ families in a statement on Telegram on Monday, and thanked emergency workers for their quick response.

Odesa has been repeatedly barraged with Russian missiles since the start of the war due to its port infrastructure.