IN PICTURES: The Devastating Aftermath of Russian Missile Strike on Odesa's Historic Heart

Kyiv Post | July 24, 2023, 12:24 pm

On Sunday night, July 23, Odesa once again faced an aggressive attack by Russia. The city suffered a massive missile strike, causing severe damage, particularly in its historical centre. Ukrainian war reporters Kostiantyn and Vlada Liberov, originally from Odesa, captured the devastating aftermath of this relentless attack.

The strike notably damaged the Transfiguration Cathedral, originally built in 1794 under imperial Russian rule, demolished under Soviet leader Stalin in 1936 and rebuilt in the 1990s following the Soviet Union collapse.

The missile strike also caused harm to other buildings in the historical center, which holds UNESCO protection.

The House of Scientists and buildings on Zhvanetsky Boulevard bore the brunt of the attack, along with residential buildings in the area.

One of the heart-wrenching losses was the damage to the Kasperovskiy Icon of the Mother of God, a symbol of Odesa and its patroness. Despite the destruction, the icon was thankfully salvaged from the debris.

According to Oleh Kiper, the head of the Odesa regional Military Administration, at least 25 architectural monuments dating back to the XIX and early XX centuries were harmed in the Russian missile strike.

The Command of the Air Forces of Ukraine reported that the city endured a total of 19 missiles of different types, with 9 of them reportedly intercepted.