7 killed in Russian strike on Ukraine’s Port City Odesa

At least seven people were killed and 15 others injured in a Russian missile attack on the Black Sea port city of Odesa, Ukrainian officials said on Friday (December 19).

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said in a message on Telegram that Russian forces fired ballistic missiles at port infrastructure in Odesa after nightfall. Casualties were reported at the scene shortly after the strike, he added.

Odesa is Ukraine’s main port hub, with three seaports critical to the export of grain and other goods to Europe and global markets. The city and its port facilities have repeatedly come under Russian attack since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Ukrainian officials said the latest strike hit the Pivdennyi port, one of the three key ports in the Odesa region.

The attack follows an escalation in recent days. On Thursday, Russian forces destroyed a strategic bridge in southwestern Odesa region with missile strikes, severing transport links between Ukraine’s major river port of Reni and border crossings with Moldova and Romania.