Illustrative purposes only: Port of Odesa on June 23, 2024 in Odesa, Ukraine. (Nikoletta Stoyanova/Getty Images)
Editor's note: This is a developing story.
Russian forces attacked Odesa on Sept. 20, injuring four people, Governor Oleh Kiper reported.
According to the preliminary data, Russia launched Iskander-M ballistic missiles, damaging port and civilian infrastructure, as well as a civilian ship under the Antiguan flag.
An air raid alert sounded in Odesa Oblast at around 2 p.m. local time, and the first explosions were heard in the city a few minutes later.
Odesa Oblast and other southern regions of Ukraine are regular targets of Russian missile and drone attacks.
Russian troops attacked Odesa Oblast with a ballistic missile on July 4, killing one civilian, injuring seven others, and hitting port infrastructure.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
"I think we in the United States are behind ... I think a lot of nations are behind, and I think to the credit of the Ukrainians, they picked up on that, and they're the world leaders in it."
"There's no doubt about the drones were intentionally launched. The question is whether the drones were targeted to go into Poland specifically," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters.
"Russian military personnel know exactly where their drones are headed and how long they can stay in the air," President Volodymyr Zelensky said, commenting on the attacks. "The routes are always calculated. This cannot be an accident, a mistake, or the initiative of some lower-level commanders."
Explosive devices were discovered during an inspection of the tracks, Oryol Oblast Governor Andrey Klychkov said. One of the devices detonated, killing two officers and seriously injuring another.
There is an agreement in place with the EU to maintain Kyiv's progress despite Budapest's veto, Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Taras Kachka said.
The proposal, described by one source as "legally creative," would allow Brussels to provide critical financial support to Ukraine without technically seizing the Russian capital—an act that would be fraught with legal risk.
Zelensky remarks come days after Russian drones violated Polish airspace and were shot down in what marked the first known instance of NATO forces directly engaging Russian aerial assets during the full-scale invasion.
Preliminary assessments indicate that key infrastructure at a major oil refinery in Russia’s Bashkortostan region— including a vacuum column essential for primary oil processing—suffered significant damage.
Russia launched a tirade of attacks killing three people in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast, and killing one in Borova, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukrainian authorities reported on Sept. 13.
“NATO’s commitment to win has been far less than 100%, and the purchase of Russian oil, by some, has been shocking,” U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social.
In episode 3 of “Dare to Ukraine: Village,” host Masha Lavrova discovers that village life is about more than chores — it’s about earning the trust of the community.
It is the third time Russian forces have used pipelines as a tactic, which they first adopted during the Battle of Avdiivka. Back in March, around 100 troops passed through a gas pipeline to reach Ukrainian positions in Sudzha, in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
Francis Farrell
