Death toll in Russian missile attack on Odesa Port rises to eight

The casualty toll from a Russian ballistic missile strike on port facilities in Ukraine’s southern Odesa has grown to eight, according to Odesa Regional Military Administration (OVA) head Oleh Kiper.

Initially, six persons were declared dead after the Russian strike on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Kiper reported that a 46-year-old port employee died in the hospital after suffering severe injuries.

Throughout the war, Russia has targeted Ukraine’s coastal Odesa area, repeatedly targeting ships and grain silos in what Kyiv claims is an illegal effort to impair the country’s export capabilities.

Prior to the Russian invasion in February 2022, Ukraine was one of the world’s leading grain exporters. However, repeated attacks on its ports and storage facilities have significantly decreased production.

The Wednesday strike also targeted a civilian container ship flying the Panamanian flag, making it the third attack on a civilian vessel in just four days.

This latest attack follows a Russian missile strike two days earlier on a Palau-flagged ship docked at the Odesa port, which killed a 60-year-old Ukrainian employee of a private cargo handling company and injured five other foreign nationals.

Oleksiy Kuleba, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction, spoke about the attack that “This is a deliberate attempt to intimidate and obstruct the operation of Ukraine’s maritime corridor.

“The aggressor is once again seeking to disrupt Black Sea commerce and undercut Ukraine’s efforts to safeguard global food security.”