Intense Nighttime Attacks by Russia Target Ukraine’s Southern Port City of Odesa

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On Wednesday, Ukrainian officials reported that Russia had launched a series of intense nighttime air attacks nationwide, using missiles and drones. The attacks caused significant damage to critical port infrastructure in southern Ukraine, particularly grain and oil terminals. At least 12 people were wounded as a result of these airstrikes.

The city of Odesa, located in the southern port, was targeted by the air raids for the second consecutive night. This escalation comes shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Moscow’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The initiative played a crucial role in facilitating grain exports to countries facing the threat of hunger.

Simultaneously, emergency officials in Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, evacuated over 2,200 individuals from four villages due to a fire at a military facility. The incident also led to the closure of a vital highway. Sergey Aksyonov, the Russia-appointed head of the peninsula, did not specify the cause of the fire, but it occurred just two days after an attack on a bridge linking Russia to Crimea, which the Kremlin blamed on Ukraine.

The head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, Serhii Popko, described it as a challenging night of air attacks for Ukraine as a whole. Ukrainian authorities reported an increased number of drones and missiles targeting various regions of the country compared to recent days.

Popko emphasized that Odesa faced particularly fierce attacks for two consecutive nights. The Operational Command South of the Ukrainian army confirmed that at least 12 civilians were injured during the assault in the Odesa region.

Oleh Kiper, the regional Governor of Odesa, stated that the attack involved numerous missiles and strike drones aimed at the port and infrastructure facilities. The debris from the downed missiles and drones caused fires, damaged buildings, and injured several people when they fell on apartment buildings, seaside resorts, and warehouses.

The targeted port and crucial infrastructure were hit with Oniks and Kh-22 missiles, causing damage to storage tanks, loading equipment, and resulting in a fire. Emergency service workers were dispatched to address the situation.

The attacks in Odesa had ripple effects in global markets, with wheat prices rising over 2.5% on Tuesday and over 3% on Wednesday. Odesa serves as a vital hub for exporting grain worldwide. However, the trading price of wheat on Wednesday remained significantly lower than last year’s peak.

At least six residents of Odesa, including a 9-year-old boy, sought medical assistance due to injuries caused by shattered glass and other objects. Additionally, a downed Kh-59 missile created a large crater in another part of the city, resulting in three civilians injured and several buildings damaged.

Eight Shahed drones were also shot down in the wider Odesa region, damaging two warehouses containing tobacco and fireworks.

Russian forces also targeted Kyiv using Iranian-made Shahed drones, but Ukrainian air defense successfully intercepted all the drones, preventing casualties. Preliminary investigations indicated no harm caused by the drone attacks in the capital.

In the past 24 hours, apart from the attack in Odesa, there were reports of strikes across Ukraine. These attacks resulted in one fatality and 21 injuries. One person died in the northeastern Kharkiv region, while ten people were injured in the shelling of cities including Avdiivka, Mariinka, and Chasiv Yar in Donetsk. Two individuals were wounded in the Mykolaiv region, and one person sustained injuries in the Kherson region.

Russian drone attacks damaged infrastructure and private homes in Ukraine’s Zhytomyr region, according to Governor Vitalii Bunechko. Fortunately, no casualties were reported. Similar attacks were also reported in the Poltava and Kirovohrad regions.

These attacks occurred a day after Russia executed what the Moscow Defense Ministry described as a “strike of retribution” on Ukrainian military facilities near Odesa and the coastal city of Mykolaiv. The strikes utilized sea-launched precision weapons. Russia holds Ukraine responsible for a July 17 strike on the Kerch Bridge, a critical link between Russia and Crimea for military and civilian supplies.

While Ukraine’s top security agency indirectly acknowledged involvement in the July 17 attack, they did not explicitly claim responsibility, echoing their response to previous similar incidents involving the Kerch Bridge.

For more information on the war, follow the AP’s coverage at https://bigbignews.net/russia-ukraine.

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