Russian Assault on Odesa: 1 Fatal, Numerous Injuries, Historic Cathedral Suffers Severe Damage

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The Ukrainian city of Odesa on the Black Sea bore witness to another round of Russian attacks on Sunday, with local authorities reporting damage to essential port structures, continued from the onslaught that the southern region of Ukraine had suffered over the past week. The early hours attack claimed at least one life and inflicted injuries on 22 people.

Oleh Kiper, the regional governor, mentioned that among the injured were four children. The blasts severely impacted the historic Transfiguration Cathedral, an iconic Orthodox cathedral in the city.

Odesa, a crucial point for grain exports, has endured a continuous string of attacks from Russia following Moscow’s termination of a significant grain agreement last Monday. This was amidst Kyiv’s unyielding attempts to reclaim its occupied territories.

Kiper highlighted that the strikes devastated six residential structures, which included apartment buildings.

In one incident in Odesa’s downtown, individuals were trapped in their apartments due to the extensive damage from the assault, which led to debris blocking the street and power line destruction.

Emergency service workers rescued 85-year-old Svitlana Molcharova, but she declined to vacate her devastated apartment after receiving initial medical aid. “I will stay here,” she insisted to the emergency worker recommending her departure.

“I was startled awake when the ceiling began to crumble. I darted into the corridor,” narrated Ivan Kovalenko, 19, another resident of the building. He had sought refuge in Odesa after fleeing Mykolaiv when his house was destroyed. “That’s how I lost my home in Mykolaiv, and now, my rented apartment here.”

Inside his residence, the ceiling partially caved in, the balcony was detached from the building, and all windows were shattered.

The Transfiguration Cathedral, among Odesa’s largest and most significant Orthodox Cathedrals, suffered substantial damage.

“The devastation is staggering. Half the cathedral now lacks a roof,” shared Archdeacon Andrii Palchuk, while cathedral staff rescued documents and precious items from the heavily damaged building, the floor drenched from firefighters’ efforts to quell the fire.

Palchuk attributed the damage to a direct hit from a Russian missile that penetrated deep into the structure, causing significant damage. Two individuals within the building during the attack sustained injuries.

“But, God willing, we will rebuild it,” he said, fighting back tears.

Despite opposition from Russia, UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural agency, earlier this year marked Odesa’s historic center as an endangered World Heritage Site.

Earlier Russian assaults this week wreaked havoc on substantial parts of export facilities in Odesa and the nearby Chornomorsk, obliterating 60,000 tons of grain, as per Ukraine’s Agriculture Ministry.

These attacks occurred shortly after President Vladimir Putin withdrew Russia from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a wartime agreement that ensured Ukrainian exports reached numerous countries combating the risk of famine.

Putin threatened to counterstrike Kyiv following an attack on the pivotal Kerch Bridge on Monday, a bridge that connects Russia with the Crimean Peninsula, annexed illegally by the Kremlin in 2014.

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For further updates on the war in Ukraine, follow AP’s coverage: https://bigbignews.net/russia-ukraine.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Russian Attacks on Odesa

More about Russian Attacks on Odesa

• Ongoing Crisis in Ukraine
• Background on the Russian-Ukrainian Conflict
• UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger
• Details on the Black Sea Grain Initiative
• The History and Significance of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa