Ukrainian crews search for survivors after Russian missile strike kills at least 23: Live Ukraine updates

Crews searched for survivors Friday in the central Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia after Ukraine authorities said a Russian missile strike killed at least 23 people and wounded about 100 more a day earlier.

More than 73 people, including four children, remained hospitalized Friday, and 18 people were missing, said Oleksandr Kutovyi, spokesman for the emergency service in the Vinnytsia region.

Police identified 19 of the people killed, Ihor Klymenko, head of the National Police, said in a Facebook post Friday. Among the victims were a 4-year-old girl and two boys at ages 7 and 8, he said.

The missiles damaged more than 50 buildings, including a hospital, Klymenko previously said, calling the strike “a cynical, cruel and insidious crime that has no excuse” in another Facebook post.

Teams, including sniffer dogs, scoured the debris of destroyed residential and commercial buildings Friday, focusing their attention on two sites  — an office building with a medical center inside, and a concert hall near an outdoor recreation area and park.

THURSDAY UPDATES:Brittney Griner’s teammate, coach testify; Russian rocket attack

Other developments

►Russia remains barred from some of Europe’s best-known soccer competitions, including the Champions League, after the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Friday rejected appeals by the country’s national soccer federation and four clubs, upholding decisions to exclude Russia by the Union of European Football Associations and FIFA.

►Bulgaria will continue to repair Ukrainian military equipment even after Moscow’s decision to suspend Russian helicopter repair certificates to Bulgarian companies, the country’s defense minister, Dragomir Zakov, said Friday. Bulgaria has previously refused to send weapons directly to Ukraine but agreed to repair Ukrainian military equipment at its factories.

Griner’s lawyer presents doctor’s letter for cannabis

A lawyer for basketball star Brittney Griner presented a Russian court on Friday with a doctor’s letter recommending cannabis to treat pain, days after Griner pleaded guilty to drug possession charges.

Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist who plays basketball for a Russian team during the WNBA’s off-season, was arrested at a Moscow airport in February after Russian authorities said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage. She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of drug-related charges.

GRAPHICS:Mapping and tracking Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

The U.S. government is facing mounting pressure to secure Griner’s release, an effort likely made difficult amid tensions fueled by Russia’s invasion of and ongoing war with Ukraine.

The next hearing for the case was scheduled for July 26. Lawyers say sentencing in the case may happen in the next few weeks.

Nations discuss coordinated probes of Russian war crimes in Ukraine

Dozens of countries pledged at a Thursday conference to cooperate with probes into Russian war crimes in Ukraine as the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan called for an “overarching strategy” to investigate and prosecute the crimes.