Three people died in Russia’s bomb attack on Odessa

Three people were killed in Russia’s attack on the Black Sea port of Odessa overnight, a local official said.

Odesa Region Governor Oleh Kiper said the “huge” drone and missile attack marked the fifth day Russia has attacked the region.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it deliberately targeted port infrastructure “used for offloading oil, oil and grease”.

The attack came as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was in Kiev to discuss cooperation between the European and Ukrainian defense industries.

Writing on Telegram, Kiper accused Russia of deliberately targeting the civilian population as well as industrial and port infrastructure in the area.

A Russian missile hit a multi-story residential building, killing and injuring residents, he said.

Non-residential buildings and oil pipelines were also damaged, he added.

In the statement, Russia said it targeted sites involved in military hardware production and cargo transportation.

Russia’s offensive in recent days has targeted Ukraine’s deep-water Black Sea ports in the wider Odessa area, which handle much of the country’s grain and other goods and are vital to its wartime economy.

Also, overnight, Ukraine claimed to have shot down 20 Russian ships in the Black Sea with its drones.

It follows a spate of attacks on Russian vessels in the Sea of ​​Azov between Crimea, Ukraine’s eastern coast, and Russia.

The Ukraine attack has forced world grain exporter Russia to restrict shipping in the Sea of ​​Azov – a route through which it handles a quarter of its grain exports, Reuters news agency reported.

As the violence continues, Ukraine is plunged into chaos, which has seen President Volodymyr Zelensky sack Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko by mail less than a year ago.

A motion to accept Svyrydenko’s resignation was tabled in Ukraine’s parliament on Tuesday, although some lawmakers questioned whether the reason for the change had been explained.

Serhiy Koretsky, the head of Naftogaz, the state oil and gas company, is seen as Sviridenko’s successor, and parliament will vote on his appointment on Thursday.

On Wednesday morning, Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kiev and wrote on social media that it was a “special time” and her 11th visit to the country since the outbreak of war.

The new initiative she announced will allow both parties to “produce more and faster.”