Russian Drone and Missile Strike Near Odesa Causes Significant Damage and Injury

On Monday, Ukrainian officials reported that a Russian drone and missile strike near Odesa had damaged infrastructure, a grain silo, and an abandoned hotel, and injured one person in the Black Sea port city. The attack was part of a series of strikes that killed five civilians and wounded thirteen in the past day.

Ukraine’s air force reported that it had shot down all Russian drones launched overnight, but one of twelve Kalibr missiles and two P-800 Oniks cruise missiles had made it past air defenses. Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces reported that the commander of the Black Sea Fleet was among the 34 officers killed in the strike on the fleet’s headquarters in the Crimean city of Sevastopol on Friday.

Russia has been targeting port and grain storage facilities in Odesa since pulling out of a wartime deal that allowed Ukrainian grain exports to countries facing the threat of hunger. On Monday, Ukraine reported that it had killed the commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in a missile strike on the naval headquarters in occupied Crimea. This attack came days after an attack that left the building smoldering, the latest salvo in a mounting effort to target the Kremlin’s naval forces and isolate the annexed peninsula.

The Russian drone and missile strike near Odesa has caused significant damage and injury, and is part of a series of attacks that have killed five civilians and wounded thirteen in the past day. Ukraine has responded by shooting down all drones launched by Russia and killing the commander of the Black Sea Fleet in a missile strike on the naval headquarters in occupied Crimea. The ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia shows no signs of abating, and the international community is watching closely to see how the situation develops.