A number of grain shops have been destroyed after the Ukrainian port of Odesa was focused by a serious Russian aerial assault early Monday, in line with the nation’s army.
Russia “attacked the south of the nation once more,” the Protection Forces of the South of Ukraine mentioned on the messaging platform, Telegram.
Since July when Moscow pulled out of a U.N.-brokered deal permitting protected grain shipments by way of the Black Sea, Russia has ramped up assaults on Ukraine’s grain-exporting infrastructure within the southern Odesa and Mykolaiv areas.
Nataliya Gumenyuk, a spokeswoman for the Ukrainian southern army command, mentioned Russia was apparently “attempting to check out the density of the air protection.”
“They perceive that port infrastructure is a precedence for our area and that it’s reliably protected. Nonetheless, that’s the reason the assault that occurred tonight was each large and by mixed means,” she mentioned on Telegram.
The Defence Forces of the South of Ukraine mentioned Russia directed 19 drones and a pair of Onyx supersonic missiles at Odesa and fired 12 Kalibr cruise missiles.
The Ukrainian air drive mentioned the Kalibrs have been launched from a ship and a submarine.
They claimed all 19 Shaheds and 11 Kalibrs have been shot down.
Nonetheless, Russia “hit the port infrastructure” in Odesa, which “suffered vital injury”, the southern protection forces mentioned.
“Onyx missiles destroyed granaries. However folks weren’t harm,” they mentioned.
Warehouses and a non-public home within the Odesa suburbs have been broken and caught fireplace, they added, “because of falling particles.”
Gumenyuk mentioned one of many grain shops hit was empty.
“However, hitting grain deal-related infrastructure”, she mentioned, was a Russian “precedence.”
Odesa regional Gov. Oleg Kiper mentioned on Telegram that one lady in Odesa, a civilian, was injured by shrapnel “in a blast wave” and was being handled in hospital.
Grain shipments
Ukraine is testing a brand new Black Sea route that avoids worldwide waters and makes use of these managed by NATO members Bulgaria and Romania, with the primary two grain shipments reaching Türkiye in current days.
Russia and Ukraine are two main agricultural powers whose provides are essential for world meals safety.
Moscow’s invasion of its neighbor in February final yr – and subsequent worldwide sanctions – have destabilized world provides and markets.
Elsewhere in a single day within the south of Ukraine, Kherson regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin mentioned that Russia shelled Kherson, damaging an academic establishment, whereas strikes focused close by Olgivka and Lvove.
“Details about the victims and destruction is being clarified,” he mentioned on Telegram.
Sergiy Lysak, governor of the east-central Dnipropetrovsk area, mentioned falling particles from a downed drone induced a fireplace at an industrial enterprise in Kryvyi Rig, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Pokrovska and Myrivska communities have been hit with “heavy artillery,” he added, however with out inflicting deaths or accidents.
‘Ukrainian drones downed’
In the meantime. Russia’s Protection Ministry mentioned its air defenses had “destroyed” 4 unmanned aerial autos (UAVs) over the northwestern Black Sea, and the Crimean peninsula which Moscow annexed in 2014.
It mentioned two drones every have been intercepted in Kursk and Bryansk, two areas bordering Ukraine.
Kursk regional Gov. Roman Starovoyt mentioned a number of properties and the roof of an administrative constructing have been broken “attributable to an assault by Ukrainian UAVs” within the central district.
No casualties have been reported.
Bryansk regional governor Aleksandr Bogomaz mentioned there have been “no casualties or injury” within the area.
