Odesa strikes
Part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Aftermath of a Russian missile strike against warehouses in Odesa on 24 February
Date24 February 2022 (2022-02-24) – present
(1 year, 10 months, 2 weeks and 6 days)
Location
Odesa, Odesa Oblast, Ukraine
Belligerents
 Russia  Ukraine
Units involved

 Russian Armed Forces

 Ukrainian Armed Forces

Territorial Defense Forces
Casualties and losses
Per Russia: 1 sailor killed, 27 missing[1]
Moskva sunk[2]
1 Mi-8 helicopter lost		 27+ servicemen killed, 6+ wounded[3][4][5]
1 Mi-14 helicopter lost[5]
1 aircraft lost
----
1 warship (Russian claim)[6]
31 civilians killed, 63–65 wounded[7][8][9][10]

During the southern Ukraine offensive of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the city of Odesa and the surrounding region have been the target of shelling and air strikes by Russian forces on multiple occasions since the conflict began, fired predominantly from Russian warships situated offshore in the Black Sea. The city has also been targeted by Russian cruise missiles.

Timeline

2022

Equipment seized from alleged Russian saboteurs in Odesa, 27 February

The first Russian airstrikes against Odesa occurred on the first day of the invasion, early on 24 February 2022, targeting warehouses in the city as well as radar and air defense systems in Lipetske. The attacks left at least 22 killed and 6 wounded among servicemen and soldiers.[3][4] Ukrainian authorities also reported that Russian shelling targeted the military airport in Odesa and destroyed one aircraft.[11] Russian saboteurs had begun operating in Odesa by 27 February, as Ukrainian authorities detained them and confiscated their equipment. Evacuation trains began taking civilians out of the city towards Chernivtsi and Uzhhorod on 2 March, with further evacuation trains operating on 8 March.[12]

At around 12:00 local time on 2 March 2022, Russian forces shelled the village of Dachne to the north-west of Odesa, damaging a natural gas pipeline and setting fire to nine houses and a garage. This was followed on 3 March by the shelling of the nearby villages of Zatoka[13] and Bilenke, killing at least one civilian in the latter village.[14] Russian warships also shelled the Ukrainian civilian vessel Helt in the port of Odesa, causing it to sink.[15]

On 5 March 2022, one Russian Mil Mi-8 of registration number RF-91165 was destroyed near Odesa.[16][17] A new brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine was founded in Odesa on 8 March, after initial complaints by civilians in the city wishing to join the defence force of a lack of organisation as they were sent home without weapons.[18]

Russian attacks in Odesa intensified towards the end of March. During the morning of 21 March 2022, Russian warships reappeared offshore and began shelling targets in Odesa including the port, before Ukrainian coastal artillery returned fire and drove them back out into the Black Sea.[19] On 25 March, Ukrainian air defences claimed to shot down three cruise missiles over the Black Sea which were on course to strike targets in and around Odesa.[20] Ukraine claimed two more Russian cruise missiles were shot down off the coast of Odesa on 27 March,[21] although the city subsequently came under heavy mortar fire according to a statement on Telegram by Serhii Bratchuk, spokesman for the Odesa military administration.[22]

On 13 April 2022, Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych and Odesa governor Maksym Marchenko said that the Russian cruiser Moskva, flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, had been hit by two Neptune anti-ship missiles and was on fire in rough seas.[2] The missiles were apparently launched in or near Odesa at Moskva located 60 to 65 nautical miles offshore.[23][24] The Russian Ministry of Defence said that a fire had caused munitions to explode, and that the ship had been seriously damaged and the crew fully evacuated, without any reference to a Ukrainian strike.[25] The following day, the ship sunk as it was attempting to reach port for repairs.[2] Russia stated one sailor from the Moskva was killed and 27 were missing, while 396 crewmembers were rescued.[1] However, according to Ukrainian sources, there were anywhere from 500 to 700 crewmembers on board, and that only 100 of them had survived.[26]

On 23 April 2022, a Russian missile strike hit a military facility and two residential buildings,[27] killing eight civilians and wounding 18 or 20, according to Ukraine.[9] Russia confirmed the attack stating the facility targeted was a logistic terminal at a military airfield that housed US and European weapons given to Ukraine.[28]

Shopping mall in Fontanka village near Odesa, destroyed on 9 May

On 27 April 2022, Russian forces attacked Zatoka Bridge with the aim of disconnecting the city of Odesa with the rest of the country at the east of Dniester river.[29]

On 1 May 2022, Ukrainian President Zelensky said that Russian forces destroyed the newly built runway of the Odesa Airport. Ukrainian officials said Russian forces used a Bastion missile for the attack.[30] The city was bombed again on 7 May, with four missiles hitting a civilian building and another two on the city airport.[31] On 7 May, a Ukrainian Naval Aviation Mil Mi-14, piloted by Col. Igor Bedzai was shot down near Odesa by a Russian jetfighter after a mission on Snake Island, five servicemen were lost.[32][5][33]

On 9 May 2022, Russia fired three Kinzhal missiles to Odesa Oblast. At that time, President of the European Council Charles Michel and Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal were in Odesa and had to hide in a bomb shelter. In the evening of the same day, Russian troops fired rockets at three warehouses in Odesa and a shopping centre in the village of Fontanka near the city. One person was killed, and two people were injured in the warehouses, and three people were injured in the mall.[34]

In the night between 30 June and 1 July 2022, three Kh-22 missiles fired from Tu-22M strategic bombers were fired into a 9-store apartment building and an recreational center in the settlement Serhiivka, Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Raion, Odesa Oblast. The whole section of the apartment building was destroyed. At least 21 people were killed and more than 38 wounded.[35][36]

On 23 July 2022, less than a day after signing a grain export deal with Ukraine, Russia launched Kalibr missiles at the Odesa sea trade port. According to Ukraine, two of the four missiles were intercepted.[37] Russian officials told Turkey that Russia had "nothing to do" with the missile strike.[38] The next day, Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman of the Russian Ministry of Defence, confirmed the strike, claiming that it destroyed a Ukrainian warship and a warehouse of Harpoon anti-ship missiles.[6]

As of 26 July 2022, as a result of rocket attacks in Odesa, eleven civilians were killed: eight (including a three-month-old girl) as a result of an attack on the residential complex "Tiras" on 23 April; one teenager during the attack on the dormitory on 2 May, one employee of the warehouse during the attack on the Suvorovsky district of Odesa on 9 May and a warehouse guard on 20 June.[39]

2023

Transfiguration Cathedral after missile attack on 23 July

In the night on 19 July 2023, Russia carried out further missile and drone attacks on the Port of Odesa after withdrawing from the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Grain and oil terminals were damaged. The Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture claims 60,000 tonnes of grain were destroyed in the attacks.[40]

In the night on July 20, a new attack destroyed an administrative building in Odesa and storage buildings in Odesa region. Among others, the building of the Chinese Consulate General[41] and three museums in the buffer zone of the World Heritage site “The Historic Centre of Odesa” (Archaeological, Maritime and Museum of Literature) were damaged. UNESCO condemned the attack.[42][43]

On July 22/23 Russian missiles hit Odesa, including the historic centre, again. 25 architectural monuments were damaged according to local authorities.[44] Transfiguration Cathedral, largest in the city, was partially destroyed. The cathedral was of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate, which has headquarters in Russia.[45][46] The House of Scientists was also strongly damaged. At least 6 residential buildings were damaged; one person was killed and 19 injured.[47]

International reactions

Denise Brown, UN official and the Head of the United Nations in Ukraine, condemned Russian attacks on grain storage facilities and port infrastructure, aggravating global food security: "Civilians and civilian infrastructure must be respected – they should never be a target".[48][49] The UN called Russian bombing of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Odesa a possible war crime.[50]

Amnesty International also condemned Russian attacks on Odesa: "...Russia’s threat to treat all ships travelling to Ukrainian ports through the Black Sea as carriers of military equipment reveals its readiness to strip those most in need of critical food supplies for its own military aims and sends a clear message that Russian forces are prepared to commit new war crimes. By stepping up its war of aggression in this manner, Russia is holding some of the world’s lowest income countries hostage to its military and political agenda."[51]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Russia says one sailor died, 27 missing after missile cruiser sank". Al Arabiya. 22 April 2022. Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "Russia says flagship missile cruiser has sunk after explosion off coast of Ukraine". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 14 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  3. 1 2 "На Одещині російські окупанти вбили 18 осіб" (in Ukrainian). 24 February 2022. Archived from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  4. 1 2 "В Подільську на Одещині прощаються з загиблими внаслідок ворожого авіаудару по військовій частині". Depo Odesa (in Ukrainian). 27 February 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 "Загинув у небі, яке любив і боронив. Як льотчик з Миколаєва став національною легендою" (in Ukrainian). 26 August 2022.
  6. 1 2 "Russia says strike on Ukrainian port hit military targets". Associated Press. 23 July 2022. Archived from the original on 25 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022. Long-range missiles destroyed a docked Ukrainian warship and a warehouse holding Harpoon anti-ship missiles supplied by the U.S., Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said at a daily briefing.
  7. ↑ Medina, Eduardo; Kim, Victoria (1 July 2022). "Missile Strikes on Ukraine Kill at Least 21 Near Odesa". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  8. ↑ Лотоцька, Наталка (3 March 2022). "Окупанти двічі обстріляли село Біленьке на Одещині, загинула людина". LB.ua (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  9. 1 2 "8 dead in Russian missile strikes in Southern Ukraine, Odesa mayor says". CNN. 24 April 2022. Archived from the original on 19 May 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  10. ↑ "Russia pummels port of Odesa in attempt to disrupt supplies". ABC News. Archived from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  11. ↑ "Just In: Casualties As Russia Blows Up Airplane in Ukraine, US Vows 'United Response'". The Whistler. 24 February 2022. Archived from the original on 9 September 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  12. ↑ "The situation in Odesa: what is happening in the city". RBC Ukraine (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  13. ↑ "Ворог обстріляв курортну Затоку на Одещині". Ukrinform (in Ukrainian). 3 March 2022. Archived from the original on 30 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  14. ↑ Лотоцька, Наталка (3 March 2022). "Окупанти двічі обстріляли село Біленьке на Одещині, загинула людина". LB.ua (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  15. ↑ Касіян, Віра (3 March 2022). "Pосійські кораблі в Одеському порту потопили цивільне судно, яке не погодилося стати живим щитом (оновлено)". LB.ua (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 30 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  16. ↑ "ASN Occurrence # 276232". Aviation Safety Network. 5 March 2021. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  17. ↑ "The Russian Air Force Just Had A Terrible Day Over Ukraine". The Drive. 5 March 2022. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  18. ↑ "Що відбувається у Одесі зараз. Ситуація в місті 9 березня: онлайн". RBC Ukraine (in Russian). 9 March 2022. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  19. ↑ "Одеське узбережжя обстріляли два кораблі рф – артилерія ЗСУ відігнала ворога". Ukrinform (in Ukrainian). 21 March 2022. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  20. ↑ "Над Одещиною збили три ворожі крилаті ракети". Ukrinform (in Ukrainian). 25 March 2022. Archived from the original on 26 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  21. ↑ Вельможко, Александр (27 March 2022). "Бойові дії 27 березня: ворог намагався обстріляти Одесу ракетами (ВІДЕО)". Одесский Курьер (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  22. ↑ Закревська, Софія (28 March 2022). "Окупанти втекли та залишили на полі бою рідкісну зброю – міномет 2С23 "Нона-СВК". Фото". OBOZREVATEL (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 29 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  23. ↑ Axe, David (13 April 2022). "One Of Russia's Biggest Cruisers Knocked Out Near Odesa". Forbes. Archived from the original on 14 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  24. ↑ Manash Pratim Boruah; Prathamesh Karle; Shaurav Gairola (14 April 2022). "Fire puts Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet flagship out of action". Janes Information Services. Archived from the original on 14 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  25. ↑ "Russia Says Major Ship in Black Sea Fleet Badly Damaged in Blast - Interfax". 13 April 2022. Archived from the original on 14 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  26. ↑ "Минобороны показало моряков крейсера "Москва" – около 100 человек. В Украине заявляли о гибели экипажа, который оценивали в 500-700 человек". The Insider (in Russian). 16 April 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  27. ↑ "As a result of missile attack on Odesa, military facility and two residential buildings damaged". Interfax-Ukraine. 23 April 2022. Archived from the original on 6 June 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  28. ↑ "Russian army eliminates logistics terminal with foreign weapons near Odessa". TASS. Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  29. ↑ "Russia bombs the strategic Zatoka bridge in a bid to cut off part of Odessa". Atalayar. 27 April 2022. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  30. ↑ "Russia-Ukraine war: Odesa airport runway 'destroyed'". Aljazeera. 1 May 2022. Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  31. ↑ "Live Updates: Russian Pullback Seen Near Kharkiv, Despite Victory Day Push for Gains". The New York Times. 8 May 2022. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  32. ↑ "Битва за Зміїний. Героїчна історія: як Україна втратила і повернула надважливий острів. Реконструкція". Pravda UA (in Ukrainian). 7 November 2022.
  33. ↑ "Герої непокореної України: земля та небо Ігоря Бедзая" (in Ukrainian). 26 August 2022.
  34. ↑ "Россия бомбила Одессу 9 мая. Последний удар был после праздничного салюта в Москве. Фото" (in Russian). BBC. 10 May 2022. Archived from the original on 10 May 2022.
  35. ↑ "В Одесской области из-за ракетного удара погибли 18 человек" [18 people have died in Odesa Oblast after missile strike]. Meduza. 1 July 2022. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  36. ↑ Medina, Eduardo; Kim, Victoria (1 July 2022). "Missile Strikes on Ukraine Kill at Least 21 Near Odesa". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  37. ↑ Beaumont, Peter (23 July 2022). "Russia fires missiles at Odesa port hours after signing grain export deal". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  38. ↑ "Russia tells Turkey it has 'nothing to do' with strike on Ukraine's odesa port – Turkish minister". Reuters. 23 July 2022. Archived from the original on 25 July 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  39. ↑ upadmin (20 June 2022). "Обстрелы Одессы: ракеты убили уже 11 мирных жителей". Новости Украины – ElitExpert (in Russian). Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  40. ↑ Arhirova, Hanna (19 July 2023). "Russia strikes Ukraine's critical port facilities in Odesa after halting grain deal". AP News. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  41. ↑ Harmash, Olena (20 July 2023). "Chinese consular building damaged in Russian attack on Ukraine's Odesa, governor says". Reuters. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  42. ↑ "Odesa: UNESCO strongly condemns attack on World Heritage property". UNESCO. 21 July 2023. Archived from the original on 22 July 2023.
  43. ↑ "Россия бомбит музеи, которые рассказывают и об их культурном наследии" (in Russian). belsat.eu. 22 July 2023. Archived from the original on 22 July 2023.
  44. ↑ "В Одессе после российского обстрела повреждены 25 памятников архитектуры" (in Russian). Meduza. 23 July 2023.
  45. ↑ "Russian missile attack destroys historic cathedral in Odesa". The Kyiv Independent. 23 July 2023.
  46. ↑ Waterhouse, James; Wright, George (23 July 2023). "Ukraine war: Russian strikes on Odesa damage Orthodox cathedral". BBC News. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  47. ↑ "Россия нанесла ракетный удар по Одессе. Разрушен крупнейший в городе Спасо-Преображенский собор" (in Russian). Meduza. 23 July 2023. Archived from the original on 23 July 2023.
  48. ↑ "Top UN aid official in Ukraine deplores latest wave of 'massive Russian attacks'". UN News. 23 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  49. ↑ "Top UN aid official in Ukraine condemns latest wave of indiscriminate attacks". UN News. 14 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  50. ↑ "UN strongly condemns Russian strikes in Odesa, Ukraine". UN News. 24 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023. Furthermore, the attacks contradict recent statements by Russian authorities concerning precautions taken to spare World Heritage sites in Ukraine, including their buffer zones, the agency said, adding that intentional destruction of cultural sites may amount to a war crime.
  51. ↑ "Ukraine: Russia's attack on Odesa's port risks 'disastrous' global crisis". Amnesty International. 20 July 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.

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