On Wednesday, tensions between Russia and Ukraine continued to heighten with reciprocal attacks in the Black Sea region. A Russian assault on the Ukrainian city of Odesa resulted in three fatalities and several injuries. Moscow announced targeting ports and military facilities used by Kyiv, while Ukraine claimed to have launched drone attacks against 20 Russian vessels, including 17 oil tankers.
Casualties in Odesa and Sumy
Serhiy Lysak, head of the local military administration in Odesa, reported the deaths of three individuals and injuries to three others in a Russian attack on the southern Ukrainian city, which also damaged several buildings.
A fire broke out in warehouses of a company in Odesa province, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Air Force had warned of Russian missiles targeting Odesa, with local media reporting new explosions in Sumy province in the northeastern part of the country.
In relation, several explosions occurred in the Ukrainian city of Sumy throughout Wednesday, as reported by the local 'Obshcheystvennoye Novosti' newspaper.
Oleh Hryhorov, governor of Ukraine’s Sumy region, stated on Wednesday that at least three people were killed and seven others were injured in a Russian attack in the northern area.
Initial reports indicated that one of these attacks targeted areas surrounding medical facilities, while other raids targeted infrastructure.
Elsewhere, port infrastructure in Ukraine’s Mykolaiv province was damaged, as reported by the regional administration chief, Vitaliy Kim.
Earlier, Ukrainian officials reported damage to storage warehouses in the province due to explosions.
Russian Strikes on Ports
The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed its forces carried out precise strikes on Odesa and Chornomorsk ports in the Odesa region, and the Dnipro-Bug port in southern Ukraine.
The ministry stated these ports were used to supply the Ukrainian armed forces, specifying that the strikes targeted fuel unloading facilities, fuel tanks, drone production and assembly workshops, and four supply ships belonging to the Ukrainian military.
The attacks were carried out using high-precision air-launched weapons and assault drones, with the ministry affirming the continued targeting of military port infrastructure in Ukraine.
Earlier, the ministry announced targeting two cargo ships and fuel tankers it claimed were supporting Ukrainian forces.
Russia continues to bombard Ukrainian port infrastructure, primarily in the Odesa region, as Kyiv intensifies its maritime operations against Russian ships.
Targeting 20 Russian Vessels
Conversely, Robert Brovdi, commander of the Ukrainian drone forces, reported that Ukrainian forces launched overnight maritime drone attacks targeting 20 Russian ships in the Black Sea, including 17 oil tankers.
These operations come as Ukraine amplifies its assaults on Russian vessels in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, vital transit routes for Russian agricultural exports and supplies to Crimea.