Odesa: Russian missiles kill eight, hit port facility and fuel supply bridge

At least eight people were killed, and 27 were wounded in Ukraine’s Odesa region following another large-scale Russian strike carried out on the evening of Friday, December 19. 

Reports on the consequences of the attack were confirmed by the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Oleg Kiper, in a post on his Telegram channel.

According to Kiper, the Russian strike hit what he described as an unspecified “port infrastructure facility in the Odesa district.” He said ballistic missiles were used during the attack. One of the consequences was a fire in a parking area where cargo trucks were stationed. Emergency services are continuing their work, but operations are being complicated by an ongoing air raid alert in the region, Kiper noted.

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration, Oleksiy Kuleba, also commented on the aftermath of the attack. He confirmed that the strikes damaged “cargo trucks and equipment.” “The world must respond accordingly and increase sanctions pressure on the aggressor country,” Kuleba stressed.

Earlier the same night, Russian forces again struck a transport bridge near the settlement of Maiaky on the M15 highway (Odesa–Reni). As a result, traffic on that section of the road was halted while the damage from the strikes was assessed.

Kiper said residents would be informed about alternative transport routes, but urged people in Odesa not to share this information publicly, nor to report on the resumption of traffic on the bridge. The facility has been targeted for several consecutive days, and such information could lead to renewed Russian attacks on infrastructure and civilians, he warned. “Do not help the Russians,” Kiper emphasised.

The bridge that was hit is a critical facility for the region, as it is used to deliver fuel to southern Ukraine from Danube ports, Dmitry Levushkin, founder of the transport company Prime, previously noted. According to him, the destruction of the crossing could lead to a sharp rise in gasoline prices for consumers.

From December 12, Russia carried out strikes on energy infrastructure in the Odesa region for several consecutive days. Taken together, these attacks amounted to one of the largest assaults on the region since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

As a result of those earlier strikes, a significant part of Odesa was left without water and electricity, and public transport operations were suspended. Efforts to deal with the consequences continued more than a week later, while rolling power outages remained in place across the city.

By Tamilla Hasanova