Russian drones attack port in Odesa region: warehouses and granaries damaged
Photo: South Operational Command
On Wednesday night of August 16, the Russian forces attacked the southern Odesa region with kamikaze drones, targeting one of the region's ports.
The head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Oleh Kiper, said the main target of the Russian occupiers was once again the port and grain infrastructure in the south of the Odesa region, Rubryka reports.
An insidious attack hit one of the ports on the Danube. According to Kiper, warehouses and granaries were damaged.
Photo: South Operational Command
Rescuers of the State Emergency Service quickly extinguished the fires that broke out due to drone attacks. Fortunately, no one was injured.
"I am grateful to everyone who listened to the warnings about the danger, went down to shelters, and stayed in safe places tonight," said Kiper. "As you can see, this is very important because, fortunately, there are no killed or injured."
Photo: South Operational Command
In turn, the South Operational Command reported that the Russian forces attacked the southern regions of Ukraine with several waves of attack drones.
Photo: South Operational Command
According to the military, the Russian invaders first targeted the Mykolaiv region, where the air defense forces worked perfectly, downing all the drones. The South Operational Command also said that two powerful waves later attacked the Odesa region's south.
As Rubryka reported, according to the Air Force, air defense downed 13 Shahed-136 drones. The operational command stressed that the Russians struck the territory of one of the ports, destroying hangars with grain and agricultural machinery.
What happened before that
On July 17, the Kremlin refused to extend its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by Turkiye and the UN, to open Ukrainian ports, blocked by Russian warships since the start of the invasion in February 2022, for food and grain export.
After Russia pulled out of the deal, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, offered Turkiye and the UN to continue the grain initiative in a trilateral format. Ukraine is considering the possibility of transporting food through the territorial waters of Romania and Bulgaria.
On July 19, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation threatened that any countries under whose flags ships would be sent to Ukrainian ports would be considered involved in the war. In turn, Ukraine promised to respond in kind to Russia's threats to sink ships.
Almost a month after Russia withdrew from the grain agreement, Ukraine announced opening temporary corridors for merchant ships in the Black Sea. However, the Navy of Ukraine stressed that the threat from the Russian Federation remains.
The routes are primarily intended for the departure of civilian ships that have been in the Ukrainian ports of Chornomorsk, Odesa, and Pivdennyi since the beginning of the full-scale war.
After leaving the grain agreement, Russia constantly attacks Ukraine's port and grain infrastructure. In particular, the ports of the Odesa region came under attack. The Russian occupiers repeatedly attacked the port of Izmail, which is located near the border with Romania, a NATO member.
