Odesa after 3 days of intense bombing and kamikaze drone attacks

We summarise Ukrainian reports of the situation in Odesa and nearby Mikolaiv.

Odesa port on fire following attacks.

Фото: Twitter/PAP

Odesa and Mikolaiv - a second Black-Sea port city around 130 km from Odesa in the south of Ukraine - have been bombed now for three days by Russia.

An elderly couple's bodies were retrieved from the rubble in Mykolaiv. For the second day in a row, the russians have deliberately used Kh-22 missiles, indiscriminate weapons of immense power, in both Odesa and Mykolaiv. As a result, missiles hit civilian objects. The russian MoD… pic.twitter.com/pTtyXNB61q

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) July 20, 2023

Ukrainian reports are in no doubt that this is a calculated attack by Russia on grain transports, previously protected by a humanitarian agreement (the "Black Sea Grain Initiative") which Russia already declared it was leaving.

The Kyiv Post reported:

"Odesa has suffered hundreds of Russian attacks since Feb. 24, 2022. But from July 18 to 20 it was the target of an unprecedented, three straight nights of intense missile and drone strikes, all concentrated on the sea port."

The report continues:

"the attacks are also considered to be linked to the Black Sea Safe Corridor Initiative, signed a year ago with the United Nations and Turkey, from which the Russians withdrew just a few days ago."

Besides attacking food supplies heading for several countries, Russian attacks are destroying objects and areas of world-historical significance:

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the historic center of Odesa, was damaged as a result of the russian missile attack. Windows were broken and the roof was severely damaged in the Archaeological Museum, the Museum of Literature, and the Naval Fleet Museum. pic.twitter.com/ln5jYlgk3L

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) July 20, 2023

Sources: The Kyiv Post, Twitter/Ukrainian General Staff, Aljazeera

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