Russia Launches Fresh Missile Barrage On Kyiv, Odesa

Russian ballistic missiles struck at least two districts in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early on Thursday, triggering fires and killing two people, while the port city of Odesa also came under attack.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko, writing on Telegram, said two people had died and six others, including a 16-year-old teenager, had been injured in the attacks, according to Reuters. Witnesses heard a series of explosions in the city. Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city's military administration, said Russia was attacking Kyiv with ballistic missiles.

Ukraine's emergency services said a fire broke out in two storage buildings and nearby parked trucks in one of the districts, where the two people had died. In the city's Svyatoshynskyi district west of the city centre, a fire broke out in a one-storey warehouse. Five people were injured in the two incidents, the emergency services said.

The Black Sea port city of Odesa also came under attack early on Thursday, the head of the city's military administration Serhiy Lysak said, adding that an educational facility had been damaged, as per the reports.

Russia Says It Hit Military Targets

Russia's defence ministry said on Thursday it had hit military and industrial facilities in Kyiv involved in the production and storage of medium- and long-range drones, as well as infrastructure at ports in Odesa and Pivdennyi used to receive, store and handle military cargoes and fuel supplies, according to Reuters. A maritime vessel and a high-speed boat belonging to the Ukrainian armed forces were also struck while en route to ports in the Odesa region, the Russian defence ministry said.

Both Moscow and Kyiv have been stepping up their attacks on key economic targets, with Ukrainian forces hitting Russian energy infrastructure, including oil tankers, while Russia has intensified its attacks on Black Sea ports in recent weeks, Reuters reported.

Escalating Air Strikes

It was the sixth such attack on the Ukrainian capital in July alone, as Russia escalates its air strikes against Ukraine.

The attacks on Kyiv and Odesa come as Russia continues its campaign against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, while Ukraine has intensified its strikes on Russian energy targets and shipping in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov.