Russia strikes Odesa port with ballistic missiles, kills 1, injures 8
Russia fired two ballistic missiles at Ukraine's southern port city of Odesa on May 23, killing one person and injuring eight others, Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper said.
Four of the wounded are in serious condition, he added.
The strike hit civilian infrastructure inside the port, damaging the engine room, shattering windows of nearby buildings, and destroying multiple pieces of equipment, according to Oleksiy Kuleba, minister for the development of communities, territories and infrastructure.
"It was a normal working day in a normal Ukrainian port," Kuleba wrote on Facebook.
"There was not a single military facility, only civilian infrastructure. Russia has once again attacked a peaceful, strategically important facility that is vital for the world's food security."
The attack comes amid ongoing Russian strikes across Ukraine, despite Kyiv's acceptance in March of a U.S.-proposed 30-day unconditional ceasefire — a proposal Moscow has refused.
Odesa, a key Black Sea port near the borders of Moldova and Romania, is critical for global trade and the export of Ukrainian grain.
Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukrainian ports have come under repeated fire, with Moscow targeting infrastructure essential to Ukraine's maritime operations.
According to Kuleba, nearly 400 pieces of port infrastructure and more than 30 ships have been damaged or destroyed by Russian attacks since February 2022. A total of 106 civilians have been injured in strikes against port facilities, he said.
Read also: Editorial: Russia just said it doesn't want peace in Ukraine. This is what you need to do
We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
26 minutes ago
- Newsweek
NATO Ally Scraps Purchase of US Black Hawk Helicopters
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Poland has scrapped plans to buy more S-70i Black Hawk helicopters as Warsaw rethinks its strategy for fighting a battle-hardened Russia pouring massive investment into its military. Why It Matters Poland has become a military powerhouse, leading the NATO alliance on defense spending. The country, which is situated on NATO's eastern flank, has felt the reverberations of more than three years of war in Ukraine, repeatedly scrambling fighter jets in response to intensive Russian airstrikes on parts of western Ukraine. Warsaw has been one of Kyiv's most strident supporters. NATO officials, particularly those from country's forming NATO's eastern edge, have increasingly warned Moscow could mount an attack against the alliance in the coming years, particularly if the U.S. succeeds in brokering a ceasefire in Ukraine. What To Know The Polish military changed its "priorities" for its upcoming purchases after "intensive" analysis, said General Wiesław Kukuła, the Chief of the General Staff for the Polish armed forces. U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopters support soldiers during the NATO Noble Jump exercise on a training range near Swietoszow Zagan in Poland on June 18, 2015. U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopters support soldiers during the NATO Noble Jump exercise on a training range near Swietoszow Zagan in Poland on June 18, 2015. AP Photo/Alik Keplicz, file "The aim of these changes is to better adapt to the challenges of the future battlefield," Kukuła told reporters on Friday. Warsaw will prioritize training and combat helicopters, as well as multi-use helicopters able to land on ships, heavy transport helicopters for the country's land forces and search and rescue aircraft, Kukuła added. Poland may look at buying other equipment, like drones or tanks, rather than the S-70i multirole helicopter, Grzegorz Polak, a spokesperson for the Polish Armament Agency, told Reuters. The war in Ukraine has spurred on drone advancement at astonishing speeds, while both sides have still relied heavily on the use of tanks and armored vehicles. Poland's previous government said in mid-2023 it was starting the process to buy more Black Hawk helicopters from PZL Mielec, a Polish branch of Lockheed Martin. Secretary of State for Poland's Ministry of National Defense Paweł Bejda said reports that a contract for the Black Hawk helicopters had been "canceled" were false, but the country's Armament Agency had decided to "terminate the procurement process." Kukuła pointed on Friday to the Polish purchase of 32 next-generation F-35 fighter jets and tens of advanced Apache helicopters that would soon "land on Polish soil" as part of preparations for the "future battlefield." What People Are Saying Paweł Bejda, Secretary of State for Poland's Ministry of National Defense, said during a press conference on Friday: "The geopolitical situation, the situation in the east—the war in Ukraine, what Russia is currently buying, equipping its army—and everything that our air forces are carrying out during tasks connected to the NATO system, is being analyzed." Brigadier General Artur Kuptel, the head of Poland's Armaments Agency, told the media: "The priorities we have heard about today will give light for the coming days, for the coming months, in terms of the directions of activities in the area of helicopter aviation." What Happens Next Poland ordered nearly 100 AH-64E advanced Apache helicopters from Boeing in mid-2024, which the aerospace giant said would "strengthen Poland's operational capability and interoperability with the U.S., NATO and allied nations." Warsaw is expected to receive its first F-35 fifth-generation fighter jets from the U.S. next year.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Russian overnight attack on Odesa kills two, damages maternity hospital, railways and ambulance station
The number of people killed in the overnight drone strike on Odesa has risen to two, with another nine injured. Source: Odesa Oblast Prosecutor's Office on Facebook; Oleh Kiper, Head of Odesa Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram Quote: "The investigators report that on the night of 9-10 June, Russian forces attacked Odesa with attack drones. Early estimates suggest that more than 10 UAVs were used." The aftermath of the attack Photo: Odesa Oblast Prosecutor's Office The aftermath of the attack Photo: Odesa Oblast Prosecutor's Office The aftermath of the attack Photo: Odesa Oblast Prosecutor's Office Details: The number of fatalities has risen to two: emergency workers have found the body of a 58-year-old man under the rubble. The attack resulted in injuries to nine people: five women and three men were wounded, and another local resident has experienced an acute stress reaction. The aftermath of the attack Photo: Odesa Oblast Prosecutor's Office The strike damaged residential buildings, a maternity hospital, an emergency medical station, a private clinic, a sports facility, a zoo, a railway station building and several civilian vehicles. The aftermath of the attack Photo: Odesa Oblast Prosecutor's Office The aftermath of the attack Photo: Odesa Oblast Prosecutor's Office The inspection is ongoing, and the full list of damage and destruction is being estimated. Prosecutors are working at the scene alongside other law enforcement officers to document the aftermath of Russia's armed aggression. The aftermath of the attack Photo: Odesa Oblast Prosecutor's Office The aftermath of the attack Photo: Odesa Oblast Prosecutor's Office The aftermath of the attack. Photo: Odesa Oblast Prosecutor's Office Background: On the night of 9-10 June, Russia struck a residential building in Odesa. At the time, one fatality was reported. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Ukrainian woman searches for husband lost in action two years ago
By Tom Balmforth CHERNIHIV, Ukraine (Reuters) -When gaunt Ukrainian soldiers dismount from buses as part of prisoner swaps with Russia, Mariia Pylnyk tries to find out anything she can about her missing husband from the freed men, and hopes, just maybe, that he will be among them. Holding up a photograph of Dmytro Pylnyk, lost in action in early 2023, she has many questions. What happened to his unit when it was ambushed by Russian forces? Was he captured by Russia? Could he eventually be released? The mass prisoner swap last month was an opportunity for people like her to ask troops just out of Russian captivity about missing loved ones who they believe, or simply hope, are prisoners of war. The alternative is unthinkable. "I hold out great hope that someone has heard something, seen something," Pylnyk, 29, told Reuters at a recent exchange in May, flanked by other relatives of those missing in action. "My son and I are waiting for (his) dad to come home. Hope dies last. God willing, it'll all be okay and dad will come back." Precise numbers for soldiers missing in action are not made public. For Ukrainians, and for Russians on the other side of the conflict, it can be hard to find out even basic information. Pylnyk says she has written to government agencies and Russian authorities and learned almost nothing. Ukrainian officials say more than 70,000 Ukrainians have been registered missing since 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion. The majority are from the military but the figure also includes civilians. Another 12,000 have been removed from the list after being identified among the dead or returned in exchanges. Petro Yatsenko, a spokesman for the Coordination Council that arranges prisoner swaps from the Ukrainian side, said Russia had never notified Kyiv which soldiers it is holding prisoner. Ukraine collects that data by other means as best it can, he said. Pylnyk and others like her share information in online chat groups and use it to try to piece together what happened. "Misfortune brought us together," she said. "After two years of this, we're like a family." LAST PHONE CALL Dmytro Pylnyk, an electrician by trade, was drafted into the army in late 2022. He phoned home often so that his wife did not worry but last called on their son Artem's third birthday on Feb. 27, 2023. He was deployed from Kharkiv region towards Bakhmut, a small city that later fell to Russian forces after fierce fighting. His unit's convoy was caught in a Russian ambush, Mariia Pylnyk said she had learned. "The guys ran any which way," she said, citing conversations with commanders who told her 41 soldiers were missing in action. Two were captured and have since been released. One, who was freed in an exchange at Easter and had lost both his arms, was unable to share any valuable information, she said. The second refused to talk. The pace of prisoner swaps has increased in the last month. Ukraine and Russia each released 1,000 prisoners in a three-day exchange last month, the only tangible outcome of direct talks in Istanbul. A prisoner swap of under-25s on Monday was the first in a series of exchanges also expected to include each side repatriating the remains of thousands. Mariia Pylnyk has given her son's DNA to the authorities so that if Dmytro is confirmed killed in action they will be notified. "We all understand that this is war and anything is possible. But to this day, I don't believe it and I don't feel that he is dead. I feel like he's alive and God willing he'll return," she said. NO SIGNAL TO CALL She lives with Artem, now five, in Pakul, a village in the northern Chernihiv region that was briefly occupied by Russians. She has not told Artem his father is missing in action. "He knows that dad is a soldier, dad is a good man, dad is at work and just doesn't have any signal to call," she said. She takes comfort from seeing families reunited and never allows herself to cry in front of her son. She used to work in a shop, but Artem has often been ill. The angst of the last two years have taken their toll on her health too. She receives state support. Pylnyk has vowed to find her husband but has often not had time to attend prisoner swaps while looking after their son. "Only a weakling can give up, you know, throw up their hands and say that's it, he's not there," she said, adding that she was very emotional when she attended last month's big exchange. "When I was there, the fighting spirit awoke in me that I needed. I have to do this. Who else will do it but me?"
