Odesa Under Siege: Russian Missiles Devastate Ukrainian Ports

A Russian missile strike on a commercial building in Ukraine's Odesa region killed four, including a teenage girl. This marked the fourth attack on the port in five days. Officials report civilian targets and infrastructure are being deliberately targeted, hindering Ukraine's economic stability.

A deadly Russian missile strike on a commercial building in Ukraine's southern Odesa region has left four people dead, including a 16-year-old girl, as confirmed by regional governor Oleh Kiper on Friday. This attack is the fourth such incident to hit the Black Sea port and its surroundings in just five days. In response, a day of mourning was declared to honor those killed in a recent drone assault.

The ongoing assault on Odesa's civilian infrastructure severely impacts the local population, with Governor Kiper stating that 13 civilians, primarily young individuals, were killed in the last two days. The attacks threaten Ukraine's crucial exports through Black Sea ports, a lifeline to its war-crippled economy. On Thursday night, Russian forces launched a ballistic Iskander missile around 22:35 (19:35 GMT), striking a two-storey commercial building housing food production, wounding ten additional civilians.

Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin condemned the strikes, accusing Russia of purposely targeting civilian infrastructure to force millions of Ukrainians into untenable living conditions. Despite Ukrainian air defense successfully downing 29 of 66 drones, the threat remains, with further escalation coinciding with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's diplomatic visits to Europe to rally support for his 'victory plan'. Moscow, which denies targeting civilians, has not commented on this latest attack.

(With inputs from agencies.)