Russia strikes Odesa port with ballistic missiles, kills 1, injures 8

Russia fired two ballistic missiles at Ukraine's southern port city of Odesa on May 23, killing one person and injuring eight others, Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper said.

Four of the wounded are in serious condition, he added.

The strike hit civilian infrastructure inside the port, damaging the engine room, shattering windows of nearby buildings, and destroying multiple pieces of equipment, according to Oleksiy Kuleba, minister for the development of communities, territories and infrastructure.

"It was a normal working day in a normal Ukrainian port," Kuleba wrote on Facebook.

"There was not a single military facility, only civilian infrastructure. Russia has once again attacked a peaceful, strategically important facility that is vital for the world's food security."

The attack comes amid ongoing Russian strikes across Ukraine, despite Kyiv's acceptance in March of a U.S.-proposed 30-day unconditional ceasefire — a proposal Moscow has refused.

Odesa, a key Black Sea port near the borders of Moldova and Romania, is critical for global trade and the export of Ukrainian grain.

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukrainian ports have come under repeated fire, with Moscow targeting infrastructure essential to Ukraine's maritime operations.

According to Kuleba, nearly 400 pieces of port infrastructure and more than 30 ships have been damaged or destroyed by Russian attacks since February 2022. A total of 106 civilians have been injured in strikes against port facilities, he said.