Russia attacks Odesa Oblast with ballistic missiles, 8 killed, 27 injured after passenger bus struck
Editor's Note: This is a developing story.
Russia attacked the port infrastructure of Odesa Oblast in southern Ukraine the night of Dec. 19, killing at least eight people and injuring 27 others, the State Emergency Service reported.
"Yesterday evening, Russia carried out a missile strike on a port infrastructure facility in Odesa Oblast. Some of the victims were on a bus that was at the epicenter of the strike," Ukraine's State Emergency Service said in a Telegram post.
The strike also caused a fire to break out among the cargo trucks in a parking lot on-site, Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper said earlier, adding that Russian ballistic missiles "massively attacked" the port facility.
Nearby cars were also damaged in the Russian attack, and all fires have been extinguished, the State Emergency Service added.
Ukraine's Air Force warned of a Russian ballistic missile threat at 9 p.m. local time on Dec. 19. Minutes later, explosions were reported in Odesa Oblast.
Odesa Oblast's port infrastructure is a regular target of Russian assaults. Recent strikes against the region have caused days-long blackouts and left residents without water.
The night before the attack on the port facility, a Russian drone attack targeted transportation infrastructure in the region: a bridge on the M15 (Odesa-Reni) highway was damaged, leading neighboring Moldova to close nearby border checkpoints.
"The enemy continues to bombard our region nonstop, but we are doing everything to ensure people's safety and keep transport and logistics running," Kiper said of the bridge strike.
Another recent attack on Dec. 13 was described by Kiper as "one of the largest" overnight attacks since the start of Russia's full-scale war.
Russia has targeted civilian energy and utility systems across Ukraine as part of its broader campaign against critical infrastructure.
