▶️ A badly damaged residential building is seen in Odesa, Ukraine, following Russian missile attacks, July 1, 2022. 👉Early morning Russian missile strikes Friday in Ukraine's Odesa region killed at least 17 people. Dozens of people were injured in the strikes. At least one of the targeted sites was a residential building. Russia’s defense ministry said Thursday it had retreated from Ukraine’s Snake Island, which had become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance since Moscow’s invasion more than four months ago. Russia had used the Black Sea island near the port city of Odesa as a staging ground after seizing it in the early stages of the war, launching attacks on Ukraine from it and monitoring shipments from Ukrainian ports. But Ukraine confirmed Russian forces had pulled out and said it came after Ukrainian forces hit the island with missile and artillery strikes overnight, leaving the remaining Russian forces to escape in two speedboats. The head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office, Andriy Yermak, confirmed the withdrawal of Russian forces from the island. “No Russian troops on the Snake Island anymore. Our Armed Forces did a great job,” Yermak said in a Twitter post. One of the first chapters of the Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion played out on Snake Island when a Russian flagship, the Moskva, approached and demanded that Ukrainian troops surrender. Their response, “Russian warship, go f— yourself,” led to an artillery attack from the ship and Ukrainian troops were forced to surrender the island. https://www.voanews.com/a/russian-missile-strike-in-odesa-kills-17/6641021.html » Subscribe to VOA News: https://bit.ly/3KIPysi » Watch more VOA News video: https://www.youtube.com/c/VOANews Voice of America (VOA) is the largest U.S. international broadcaster, providing news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of 236.8 million people. VOA produces content for digital, television, and radio platforms. It is easily accessed via your mobile phone and on social media. It is also distributed by satellite, cable, FM and MW, and is carried on a network of approximately 3,000 affiliate stations. Since its creation in 1942, Voice of America has been committed to providing comprehensive coverage of the news and telling audiences the truth. Through World War II, the Cold War, the fight against global terrorism, and the struggle for freedom around the globe today, VOA exemplifies the principles of a free press. Connect with VOA News: » VISIT OUR WEBSITE: https://www.voanews.com/ » LIKE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/voiceofamerica » FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/voanews/ » FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: https://twitter.com/VOANews