Russia targets Odesa again, but Ukraine says it shot down all 23 missiles and drones
Russia launched three waves of nighttime air attacks against the port city of Odesa in southern Ukraine, officials said Monday, though the Ukrainian air force said it intercepted all 15 incoming Shahed drones and eight Kalibr missiles.
Falling debris from the interceptions damaged the dormitory of an educational facility in the city, a residential building and a supermarket, Odesa Gov. Oleh Kiper said.
Two employees of the supermarket were hospitalized, Kiper said. Video showed a huge blaze at the supermarket during the night and, the next day, the large building’s charred and mangled wreckage.
Meanwhile, the Dutch Defense Ministry said it scrambled two F-16s early Monday when two Russian bombers were tracked flying toward Dutch airspace.
“This doesn’t happen often, but today’s incident demonstrates the importance of rapid deployment,” the ministry said. “The F-16s are on standby 24 hours a day and can take off within minutes and intercept an unidentified aircraft.”
The two planes were identified by Danish F-16s in international airspace over the Baltic Sea but did not enter Danish airspace, the Danish Air Force said.
The attack on Kherson province followed a Ukrainian attempt to quell rumors that its forces had landed on the occupied east bank of the Dnipro River.
In March, British and German fighter jets were scrambled to intercept a Russian aircraft flying close to Estonian airspace, officials said, amid mounting concerns about aerial standoffs near Russia and Ukraine.
A day earlier, the U.S. had said that a Russian fighter jet had struck a U.S. surveillance drone over the Black Sea. Russia insisted its warplanes didn’t hit the MQ-9 Reaper drone, arguing that the drone maneuvered sharply and crashed into the water.
The Kremlin’s forces have pummeled Odesa in recent weeks, aiming at facilities that transport Ukraine’s crucial grain exports and also wrecking cherished Ukrainian historical sites.
The stepped-up barrages follow Moscow’s decision to break off a landmark agreement that had allowed grain to flow from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia and help reduce the threat of hunger.
The FAO Food Price Index increased 1.3% in July over June, driven by higher costs for rice and vegetable oil.
Following that withdrawal, Russia has carried out repeated strikes on Ukrainian ports, including Odesa, and declared wide areas of the Black Sea unsafe for shipping.
On Sunday, a Russian warship fired warning shots at a cargo ship in the southwestern Black Sea.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said the ship was heading north to the Ukrainian port of Izmail on the Danube River. Russian forces fired shots from automatic small arms to force it to stop, the ministry said on Telegram.
Ukraine’s presidential office reported Monday that at least eight civilians were killed and 23 others were wounded in Ukraine over the previous 24 hours.
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