Russian strike damages Odesa port infrastructure

An overnight Russian air strike on the southern Ukrainian region of Odesa caused "significant damage" to port infrastructure and destroyed some grain storage facilities, Ukrainian officials said yesterday.

No deaths were reported in the attack on Odesa, but at least one person was killed in a separate Russian air strike on the town of Beryslav in the southern region of Kherson region, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.

"Another massive attack on Odesa! ... The attack resulted in the destruction of grain storage facilities and significant damage to the seaport," Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, economy minister, said on X.

Oleh Kiper, the Odesa region governor, said the facilities that were hit had almost 1,000 tonnes of grain in storage.

Russia's defence ministry also reported Ukrainian attacks overnight, saying drones were shot down over the northwestern part of the Black Sea, over Crimea, and over the Russian regions of Kursk and Belgorod regions. It mentioned no deaths.

The commission reiterates its deep concern at the scale and gravity of violations and corresponding crimes that have been committed in Ukraine by Russian armed forces.

— Erik Møse, chair of the Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, tells UN Human Rights Council

The Russian attack on Odesa was the latest in a series of missile and drone strikes which Kyiv says are intended to prevent Ukraine, a major grain producer and exporter, shipping its agricultural products to the world.

Ukrainian air defences destroyed 19 Iranian-made Shahed drones and 11 cruise missiles overnight, the vast majority of them were directed at the Odesa region, the military said.

Meanwhile, Ukraine claimed yesterday it had killed the commander of Russia's Black Sea fleet in an unprecedented missile strike on the naval headquarters in the annexed Crimean peninsula last week.

It marked a major blow for Moscow, which has suffered a string of attacks on the strategically important port of Sevastopol in recent months.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday said his army had taken delivery of US Abrams battle tanks, boosting Kyiv's forces in their slow-moving counteroffensive against Russian troops.

Ukraine and the United States also signed a memorandum of understanding under which Kyiv will receive up to $522 for strengthening the resilience of the Ukrainian energy system.