Russia bombed the Black Sea port city of Odesa for a second night in a row with drones and missiles, causing large and sustained explosions early Wednesday, what Ukrainian officials say an attack on grain depots and other critical infrastructure Ukraine needs to ship food to the world. .
The Ukrainian air force said it was one of the largest continuous aerial attacks on Odesa, the country’s largest port, and several waves of missiles and drones were launched into the cities. another during the night. Smoke was seen rising over the main port of Odesa as dawn broke.
President Volodymyr Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials called the attack part of Russia’s effort to continue a de facto blockade of the Black Sea, after Moscow withdrew from a United Nations-brokered agreement that allowed the Ukrainian grain ships export food. Russian missiles also hit Odesa on Tuesday in what Moscow claimed was retaliation for an attack on a key bridge leading to occupied Crimea.
“Russian terrorists deliberately targeted the infrastructure of the grain deal and every Russian missile that not only dealt a huge blow to Ukraine but to everyone in the world who wants to live a better life. normal and safe,” Zelensky said Wednesday on the messaging app Telegram.
At least 30 cruise missiles and 32 attack drones were fired at targets across the country, mainly from the Black Sea, Ukrainian Air Force said. Ukraine said it intercepted 14 missiles and 23 drones.
“It was a hellish night,” Serhiy Bratchuk, a spokesman for the Odesa regional military government, said in a video posted on social media. He called the attack “very powerful, really big” and said it could be the biggest attack on the city since the full-blown invasion of Russia began.
In Odesa, an intercepted missile caused a large explosion, the blast wave damaged several buildings and injured civilians, according to the Ukrainian military. The military said port infrastructure, including grain and oil storage, tanks and loading and unloading equipment, was damaged. According to the military, warehouses containing cigarettes and fireworks were also attacked. The Odesa city government said 10 people needed medical help, including a 9-year-old boy.
On the Russian-occupied peninsula of Crimea, a fire at a military training site forced the evacuation of at least 2,000 residents and closed a highway. based on Sergei Aksyonov, the head of Crimea appointed by Russia.
Tensions flared around the Black Sea following Monday’s explosion on the Kerch Strait bridge connecting Crimea with Russia. The bridge, a key strategic link to supply Russian forces in southern Ukraine, was damaged in an apparent Ukrainian attack by naval drones.
Moscow has denied the attacks were linked to the suspended grain deal, saying on Tuesday they were a “mass retaliatory attack” on facilities used to manufacture airliners. riders used in attacks against Russia.
The Kremlin on Tuesday issued threats against Kyiv trying to resume food shipments through the Black Sea, with its spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, saying: “There are some risks emerging. stay there without proper security.”
Serhiy Popko, head of the city’s military administration, said Russia also launched a wave of drones on Wednesday in the capital Kiev, but all were destroyed by the city’s air defenses. cancel.
Russia’s success in attacking critical infrastructure at ports around Odesa reflects the difficulties Ukraine faces in trying to protect cities while also protecting critical infrastructure, military equipment and military gathering places.
“We can cover the ports of Odesa, the Kyiv region, Dnipro, Lviv,” Yurii Ihnat, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, said during an appearance on Ukrainian television. “But we can’t block all the directions from which the missile enters Ukraine.”
Attacks focused on Odesa are particularly difficult for Ukraine because of the types of missiles deployed by Russia and the tactics it uses to evade air defenses. Ihnat said the Russians fired the Kh-22 cruise missiles on a ballistic trajectory, making them extremely fast and difficult to shoot down, especially when launched from a relatively close range. At the same time, he said, drones are used in large numbers to try to deplete air defenses, making it harder to track more powerful missiles.
