Russia attacked Odesa using Kalibr cruise missiles fired from the Black Sea area, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The missiles struck the city’s grain and oil terminal, damaged tanks and loading equipment, and caused a fire to break out, Ukraine’s state broadcaster Suspilne reported.
In the Odesa region, Russian missiles also hit two warehouses and an industrial facility, wounding one employee, according to officials.
An explosive wave damaged several apartment buildings in Odesa’s residential areas, according to Suspilne.
At least six residents, including a nine-year-old boy, sought medical assistance after being struck by shards of glass or other objects, Suspilne reported, as quoted by Britain’s The Guardian newspaper.
Ukraine downs 14 Russian missiles, 23 drones overnight
In all, Ukraine’s air defence destroyed 13 Kalibr cruise missiles, one guided Kh-59 cruise missile and 23 Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drones during Russia’s massive strike on the night of July 18-19, The Kyiv Independent website reported.
Russian forces fired several waves of strikes from the Black Sea area, directed against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure and military facilities, mainly in Odesa, the Ukrainian Air Force said.
Officials in Kyiv said the assault consisted of 16 Kalibr cruise missiles launched from Russia’s fleet in the Black Sea, eight Kh-22 cruise missiles, six Oniks cruise missiles, one guided aerial Kh-59 missile and 32 Shahed kamikaze drones, The Kyiv Independent reported.
At least six people were injured in the Odesa region, Governor Oleh Kiper said.
Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s city military administration, said on the Telegram social messaging app: “A difficult night of air attacks for all of Ukraine, especially in the south, in Odesa.”
The Ukrainian capital itself was attacked with unmanned aerial vehicles, according to the Reuters news agency.
Popko said that, according to preliminary information, there was some damage or casualties, as quoted by The Guardian.
Crimea military base set ablaze: Russian officials
Meanwhile, a fire broke out at a military training facility on Ukraine's Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula, the region's Russian-backed governor, Sergei Aksyonov, said on Wednesday.
The governor added on Telegram that the blaze, in Crimea's Kirovske district, forced the closure of the Tavrida Highway nearby, The Guardian reported.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
Wednesday is day 511 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, Reuters, The Kyiv Independent, The Guardian, Ukrainska Pravda