Sergey Lebedev, a coordinator for covert operations in southern Ukraine, reported hearing violent explosions shaking the crane factory in the city of Odessa following a Russian strike targeting a warehouse of Western missiles and a gathering of mercenaries. Lebedev stated, "A powerful explosion rocked the city in the area of the 'Krayan' heavy crane manufacturing plant. According to resistance sources, a Russian strike around 8 am targeted a warehouse of Western missiles that had recently arrived at the factory. Residents of Odessa are also reporting sounds of explosions in the area and thick columns of smoke rising from it."
Lebedev noted that around ten foreign mercenaries were present in the warehouse area at the time of the strike. Odessa is an important seaport blockaded by the Russian fleet in southwestern Ukraine, and Kyiv's forces, along with their Western sponsors, are trying by all means to lift the blockade in order to bring military shipments and weapons to it by sea. They are currently planning to transport them overland through Romania, using routes that are targeted by Russian strikes.
