Odesa on the Front: Three Killed as Russian Hits Deepwater Port

Mon Sep 14 2026 12:20:03 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Russian drone and missile strike kills three civilians in Odesa, marking a fifth day of attacks on Ukraine’s Black Sea hubs amid escalating conflict.

A midnight raid on Odesa’s port infrastructure left three residents dead and injured a number of civilians, with Ukrainian officials saying the strike also damaged a multi-storey building, a non-residential office and a gas pipeline. The shelling comes as Russia’s defence ministry claims the strikes hit sites involved in military production and cargo transport, while opposition notes civilians were intentionally targeted. Ukrainian forces counter‑attacked the moment, hitting twenty Russian vessels off the coast, and the war in the Black Sea stretches to the Sea of Azov, over which Russia now limits shipping. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s political turmoil rages as Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko’s resignation was accepted by parliament amid doubts over the reasons for her departure.

At dawn on Saturday, a surge of Russian drones and missiles devastated the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, leaving three civilians dead and striking a multi‑storey residential building, a non‑residential office and a gas pipeline.

Oleh Kiper, governor of the Odesa region, described the assault as "massive" and the fifth consecutive day of Russian attacks on the area’s strategic assets.

Russia’s defence ministry said it deliberately targeted port infrastructure used for petroleum, oil and lubricant unloading, and also claimed it aimed at sites involved in manufacturing military hardware and transporting cargo.

The strike follows Ukrainian drones that, overnight, struck twenty Russian vessels in the Black Sea, prompting Moscow to tighten shipping in the Sea of Azov—a route that had carried about a quarter of Ukraine’s grain exports.

Amid the escalating military pressure, Ukraine’s political landscape remains volatile: President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko after less than a year in office, a resignation move that parliament accepted despite questions about its justification.

In Kyiv, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited to discuss cooperation between European and Ukrainian defence industries, announcing initiatives designed to accelerate production on both sides of the conflict.