Kyiv says Russian Strikes Pummeling Ukraine’s Black Sea Coast

Ukraine said on Tuesday that Russian forces had launched multiple missile strikes at targets on the Black Sea coast near the southern port city of Odesa and in Mykolaiv. 

The attacks come days after Russian strikes hit the port of Odesa, calling into question a breakthrough deal to resume exports of grain from Ukraine, that have been disrupted by Moscow’s invasion.

“A massive missile attack, with the use of aircraft, was launched from the Black Sea on the south of Ukraine,” the country’s southern military command said on Facebook.

Rescuers were working on the ground near Odesa where “residential buildings” near the coast were hit in the strikes, the military said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky published a video showing debris scattered around heavily damaged houses in Zatoka, a popular resort village to the west of Odesa.

“No military bases, no troops. Russian terrorists just wanted to shoot. They will be held accountable for all this,” Zelensky said in an Instagram post.

Odesa region official Sergiy Bratchuk told Ukrainian TV that “only one person” was injured in the Zatoka attack. There were no casualties.

The military said that “port infrastructure” was targeted in the neighbouring Mykolaiv region, which was also hit by S-300 missile systems deployed in the Russia-controlled Kherson region.

Governor Vitaliy Kim posted a video of the attack on the city of Mykolaiv, showing multiple explosions and clouds of black smoke rising from the ground.

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“A critical infrastructure object and a motor vehicle business were damaged,” Kim said on Telegram.

The mayor of Mikolaiv, Oleksandr Sienkevych, said the city’s boiler facility had been damaged.

Kim later said in televised remarks that Russia launched six cruise missiles from the air and 12 S-300-type missiles, some intercepted by Ukrainian air defence.

“They destroyed three sections of an out-of-use railway bridge and other infrastructure facilities,” Kim said, adding that there were no casualties.

Kyiv said on Monday it was still pushing on with preparations to restart exports and hoped to send the first ships out from one of three ports in the Odesa region this week.