The Port of Odesa was damaged in a Russian overnight missile and drone attack on Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. According to him, the attack also targeted energy infrastructure in the city and several other regions of the country.

According to Ukrainian authorities, port facilities and residential buildings in Odesa were damaged in the massive attack. Around a dozen people were injured. Power supplies were temporarily disrupted in parts of the city, while repair crews began restoration work.

Zelenskyy said that attacks on port infrastructure pose a threat not only to Ukraine but also to international food security. Odesa's ports are a key channel for exporting Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products to global markets.

The Ukrainian president linked the Russian strikes on ports to an attempt to restrict Ukraine's ability to use the Black Sea for foreign trade. The Port of Odesa and nearby port facilities have repeatedly been targeted by Russian attacks since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

The latest attack comes amid an ongoing escalation in strikes against infrastructure in the Black Sea region. In recent weeks, Russian forces have repeatedly targeted ports in the Odesa region, including facilities involved in exports and cargo transportation.

At the same time, Russia reported casualties from a Ukrainian attack. Russian authorities said that five people were killed and another 25 injured in a Ukrainian drone strike in Belgorod. The reported death toll later rose to six. The Russian Defense Ministry also said it had intercepted more than 150 Ukrainian drones over various Russian regions, Crimea, and the Black and Azov seas.

 

Both sides continue to strike targets far beyond the front line. For Ukraine, Odesa's port infrastructure is strategically important as a major component of its maritime exports, while Russia has in recent months intensified pressure on Ukrainian transport, energy and port facilities.

The strikes on port infrastructure are also taking place against the backdrop of an expanding confrontation in the Black Sea. Moscow has said it is strengthening protection for Russian shipping in the Azov-Black Sea basin and developing alternative routes for cargo transportation.

The attack on Odesa demonstrates that the Black Sea remains one of the key economic and military theaters of the war. Beyond its immediate military importance, disruption to port infrastructure can affect Ukrainian grain exports, trade flows and the safety of commercial shipping. At the same time, Ukrainian strikes on Russian ports, oil infrastructure and maritime facilities show that both sides view the Black Sea as an important arena of economic and logistical confrontation.

#RUSSIA

#NEWS

#UKRAINE

09.08.2026 06:10