Russia launched heavy overnight attacks using drones and missiles on targets across Ukraine, targeting the southern port city of Odessa for the second consecutive night, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday.
The head of the Crimean region, appointed by Russia, Sergey Aksyonov, meanwhile, said that a fire at a military facility in Russia’s annexed Crimea blocked an important highway and evacuated civilians from four residences.
It is not clear why the fire broke out at the military facility in the Kirovsky district two days after the bridge connecting Russia with Crimea was attacked. The Kremlin blamed Ukraine.
Russia launches intense night attacks across Ukraine and targets the southern port city of Odesa
Ukrainian officials say Russia has launched an intense series of nighttime air attacks using drones and missiles against targets across Ukraine pic.twitter.com/ZUuYVpuA2u— BrorMamta (@mtbr4091) July 19, 2023
“This has been a difficult night of air strikes for the whole of Ukraine,” Serhii Popko, head of the Kiev City Armed Forces, told Telegram.
Popko said that the attack in Odessa was specifically the second night in a row.
Odessa regional governor Ole Kiper said details about the damage and victims of Russia’s “strong” attack on the region would be given later.
Russia also hit Kiev with Iranian-made Shahed drones, but “in vain,” Popko said. Ukrainian air defense intercepted all UAVs targeting the capital, and initial investigations found no casualties.
The governor of Ukraine’s Zhytomyr region, Vitalii Bunechko, said Russian drone attacks destroyed some infrastructure and private homes. Nobody was injured.
Authorities in Ukraine’s Poltava and Kirovohradskyi districts also announced the protests.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that the army intercepted 13 of 16 Kalibr cruise missiles, 23 of 32 Shahed drones and one Kh-59 missile.
According to reports, Russia also launched 8 Kh-22 cruise missiles and 6 high-precision Onix missiles, among which Onix missiles target the infrastructure in the Odessa region.
The day before, Russia carried out what the Moscow Ministry of Defense describes as a “reprisal attack” using large-scale naval weapons on Ukrainian military installations near Odessa and the coastal town of Nikolayev.
Russia blames Ukraine for the July 17 attack on the Kerch Bridge, an important artery for military and civilian goods connecting Russia to Crimea.
It appears that Ukraine’s top security services participated in the July 17 attack without direct approval, citing their response following a similar attack on the Kerch Bridge.
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