1 killed as Russia hits port infrastructure in Ukraine’s Odesa region
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A man walking past the remains of a Russian missile in Ukraine's Kharkiv region.
PHOTO: AFP
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KYIV – Russian forces struck port infrastructure in Ukraine’s Odesa region in an overnight missile attack, killing a security guard and damaging a cargo terminal, the region’s governor said on Thursday.
Odesa’s ports have been regular targets for Russian attacks since Moscow withdrew on July 17 from a United Nations-brokered deal that allowed Ukrainian grain to be exported via the Black Sea.
Before the latest attack, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said Russian air strikes had damaged 26 port infrastructure facilities and five civilian vessels in the previous nine days. He gave no further details of the damage.
Odesa Governor Oleh Kiper said Russia fired Kalibr missiles at an unspecified port from a submarine in the Black Sea in the overnight attack.
He said a security building had been destroyed and two cars damaged.
Ukraine’s air force said two missiles were fired in the attack, and that it was unable to shoot them down, but that air defences shot down eight drones that Russia launched to attack other regions of Ukraine overnight.
Ms Natalia Humeniuk, a spokesman for Ukraine’s southern military command, said an overnight thunderstorm had helped Russia in the overnight attack on the Odesa region.
“The enemy took advantage of the weather conditions and launched the missile during the thunder and wind and at an extremely low height in order to make spotting them more difficult,” she said.
On Wednesday, Russia targeted the regions of Kyiv, Khmelnytskyi and Kirovohrad in a second missile strike, but the Ukrainian air force chief said the barrage had been repelled.
Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk, writing on Telegram, said anti-aircraft units had downed 36 targets – three Kalibr cruise missiles and 33 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles.
A later statement indicated that information was still being collated on Kinzhal missiles also used in the attack.
“The day turned out to be difficult, but thanks to the harmonious work of all those defending the skies, we repelled this attack! Thanks to everyone!” General Oleshchuk wrote.
There were no immediate reports of damage from the missile launches or anti-aircraft activity.
The authorities in the western Khmelnytskyi region confirmed the sound of explosions.
“We have registered high-speed targets, probably also ballistic missiles. The enemy is using different weapons types,” air force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said in televised comments.
He said some missiles had travelled towards the city of Starokostiantyniv, the site of a Ukrainian military airfield. He said the missiles had taken a highly convoluted route, even making a 180-degree turn at one point.
Ukrainian air defences thwarted an earlier attack on Wednesday afternoon, shooting down two Kalibr cruise missiles over the central city of Vinnytsia that appeared to have been fired from a submarine in the Black Sea, the air force said.
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