KYIV (Reuters) – Russia hit port infrastructure in Ukraine’s Odesa region in overnight missile attack, killing a security guard and damaging a cargo terminal, the region’s governor said on Thursday.
Odesa’s ports have been regular targets for Russian attacks since Moscow last week withdrew from the Black Sea grain initiative, the Turkey and UN-brokered agreement which allowed Ukrainian grain to be exported from Odesa’s ports for nearly a year.
Odesa Governor Oleh Kiper said Russia fired Kalibr missiles at an unspecified port from a submarine in the Black Sea. He said a security building had been destroyed and two cars damaged.
Ukraine’s air force said it wasn’t able to shoot down the Kalibr missiles, although it said it had downed eight drones overnight in other regions of Ukraine.
Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern military command, said an overnight thunderstorm had helped Russia in the attack.
“The enemy took advantage of the weather conditions, and launched the missile during the thunder and wind and at an extremely low height in order to make spotting them more difficult.”
(Reporting by Max Hunder; Editing by Tom Hogue and Kim Coghill)
