Russian missiles attack port infrastructure near Ukraine’s Odesa, kill seven

Russian missiles attack port infrastructure near Ukraine’s Odesa, kill seven

A Russian missile ​attack late on Friday on port infrastructure around Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa killed seven people and injured 15, Ukrainian officials said.

“In the late evening, Russia attacked ‌port infrastructure ‌in Odesa region ‌with ⁠ballistic ​missiles,” ‌Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba wrote on Telegram.

Kuleba and Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper said that, according to preliminary reports, seven people were killed and 15 injured. A ⁠source familiar with the matter ‌said the attack was ‍on Pivdennyi — one ‍of three ports in ‍the area.

Odesa, a focal point of Ukrainian grain and other exports, has been a frequent target ​of Russian attacks since Russia invaded its smaller neighbor in ⁠February 2022.

The intensity of the attacks has increased in recent days. One strike damaged a bridge southwest of Odesa and cut a major route between the city and the Danube River port of Reni and complicated border crossings to ‌Moldova and Romania.