Three killed in overnight Russian strike on Odesa port
An overnight Russian drone and missile attack on Odesa killed three people and damaged residential, industrial and pipeline facilities, as the conflict over Black Sea shipping intensifies.
Three people died after a Russian drone and missile strike hit the Black Sea port of Odesa overnight, local officials said. Governor Oleh Kiper described the attack as the fifth consecutive day of Russian assaults on the region and said a missile hit a multi-storey residential building, a non-residential structure and a gas pipeline.
The Russian defence ministry stated that its operation targeted port infrastructure used for unloading petroleum, oil and lubricants, as well as sites involved in the manufacture of military hardware and cargo transport.
The attacks come as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Kyiv to discuss cooperation between European and Ukrainian defence industries. In a Telegram post, Kiper accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians and critical infrastructure.
Recent Russian strikes have focused on Ukraine’s deep-water Black Sea ports, which handle a large share of the country’s grain and other exports, while Ukrainian actions have limited Russian shipping in the Sea of Azov, a key grain route for Russia.