(Reuters) – Russia initiated an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) assault on the southern areas of the Odesa region early on Sunday, damaging infrastructure at a port on the Danube River and causing injury to at least two individuals according to a statement from Kyiv.
According to Ukraine’s Air Force, their air defense systems successfully intercepted and destroyed 22 out of the 25 Shahed drones, which are of Iranian origin, that Russia deployed over Odesa during the early hours of Sunday. This information was shared on the Telegram messaging app.
Sharing an update on social media, Ukraine’s South Military Command highlighted that the attack targeted the “civil infrastructure of the Danube” and resulted in injuries to two civilians.
Since a U.N.-brokered agreement ended in July, the Danube has been the primary passage for Ukraine’s grain exports as it replaced the previous route of shipping grain through the Black Sea.
Specific details regarding which port facility was affected by the attack have not been disclosed, though the military confirmed that a fire that broke out at the site was swiftly extinguished.
Several Ukrainian media outlets have reported explosions at the Reni port, which is one of the two main ports operated by Ukraine on the Danube River. At present, Russia has not issued any immediate response or comment regarding these allegations.
The reports could not be independently verified by Reuters.
(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Edwina Gibbs and William Mallard)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
