Odessa again targeted by Moscow
Moscow targeted Ukraine’s southern Odessa region early Wednesday for the second night in a row since a crucial grain deal expired.
“All clear! Details on the aftermath of the massive attack » from Moscow “will be provided later”wrote the governor of the region, Oleh Kiper, on Telegram.
Earlier, the Kyiv Air Force said it had detected Kalibr missile launches from the Black Sea, without providing details, according to a post on the same social network. Mr. Kiper had asked the “residents of the entire Odessa region” to stay in shelters.
In a video broadcast on Telegram claiming to show the consequences of the attack but which Agence France-Presse could not verify, the windows of a multi-storey building appear damaged and shards of glass are scattered on the ground, outside.
During the night, air alerts also sounded in a dozen Ukrainian regions.
Odessa and its region are home to the three ports through which Ukraine could, under the Black Sea Grain Initiative which expired on Monday evening, export its agricultural products despite the war and the blockade imposed by the Russians. Moscow warned Ukraine on Tuesday against its desire to continue grain exports through the Black Sea, warning that there were no more “security guarantees” after the expiration of the agreement.
On Tuesday before dawn, explosive missiles and drones sent by Russia to Odessa had been “destroyed” by Ukrainian anti-aircraft defence, the governor said.
“The debris from the destroyed missiles and the shock wave damaged port infrastructure and several private homes”, he reported. Moscow had for its part said to have destroyed by a wave of missiles “facilities where terrorist acts against Russia were being prepared”.