Russia Continues Retaliatory Missile Strikes on Odesa

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Facts

  • For the third night in a row, Russia launched a wave of missiles and drones at the port city of Odesa in Ukraine's south in the early hours of Thursday. At least two civilians were killed.1
  • Oleh Kiper, the region's governor, said that Ukrainian air defenses destroyed all 12 drones and two Kalibr missiles deployed by Russia. However, he said that other types of missiles — namely the X-22 and Onyx types — were able to get through.2
  • A spokesman for Russia's defense ministry said the attack was continued retaliation for a Ukrainian attack on the Kerch Bridge in Crimea earlier in the week.3
  • "Last night, the Russian armed forces continued delivering retaliatory strikes by seaborne and air-launched high-precision weapons against the production workshops and storage sites of drone boats," in the Odesa region, the spokesman said. He added that fuel and ammunition depots in the Mykolaiv region were also destroyed. The claims could not be independently confirmed.3
  • Elsewhere, according to a report in the Washington Post, to break up Russia's well-fortified defenses in southern Ukraine, Ukraine has begun firing cluster bombs against Russian forces — which have been included in the latest military aid package announced by the US earlier this month.4
  • The weapon, outlawed in more than 120 countries, is controversial because it disperses hundreds of smaller bomblets that explode over an area larger than a football field, inflicting a heavy death toll on civilians. Bomblets can also remain unexploded in the civilian population for a long time, exploding years later after being disturbed.5

Sources: 1Associated Press, 2Archive, 3TASS, 4Ukrainska Pravda, and 5Washington Post.

Narratives

  • Pro-Ukraine narrative, as provided by Ukrinform. Russia continues attempting to destroy the lifeblood of Ukraine, launching yet another terrorist attack that kills civilians and destroys civilian infrastructure. Ukraine's will to withstand and defeat this evil will not be conquered.
  • Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. This Russian attack was retaliation for Ukraine's terror attack on the Kerch Bridge in Crimea. It struck the military base and equipment responsible for launching the Ukrainian attack.

Predictions