Russia attacks Odessa region after two ships break Black Sea blockade
Russia launched a combined drone and missile attack on Ukraine on Sunday morning, targeting mainly southern parts of Odessa region and hitting an agricultural facility, the Ukrainian Air Force said, according to Reuters.
Russia launched six Iranian-made Shahed drones and 10 cruise missiles, and Ukrainian forces shot down six drones and six missiles before they could reach their target, the Air Force said.
The situation in Odessa and its ports has been closely watched by grain markets, as Kyiv said on Saturday that two cargo ships had arrived there to use a temporary corridor to navigate into the Black Sea ports and load grain for markets in Africa and Asia.
"Fighter jets, anti-aircraft missile units, mobile groups, and other attack means were involved in repelling the air attack," the Air Force said.
The extent of the damage is not known at the time of reporting and it was not clear what facility was hit. The Air Force only said that emergency services were on the scene.
Reuters said it was unable to independently verify the information and Russia has not made any statements on the matter for the time being.
The entire territory of Ukraine was under air raid alert for several hours.
Last month, Ukraine announced a "humanitarian corridor" in the Black Sea for ships blocked in its ports since the start of the war to leave and to bypass a de facto blockade after Russia reneged on an agreement that allowed Kyiv to export grain.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
