Russia presses on with ‘systematic attacks’ on south Ukraine port: Kyiv

KYIV: Russian forces again attacked the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa overnight, Ukraine’s authorities said on Monday, accusing Moscow of seeking to completely destroy maritime logistics.

Russian strikes on the Black Sea regions have intensified, hitting bridges, ports and cutting electricity and heating to thousands as temperatures dip.

“The enemy does not stop striking the Odesa region. Russia is trying to destroy maritime logistics, launching systematic attacks on port and energy infrastructure,” Reconstruction Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said.

The southern region has over the past week endured over 500 attacks targeting primarily port infrastructure and logistics, Kuleba said on Saturday.

The latest strikes overnight cut power to over 120,000 subscribers, he added.

Energy company DTEK said it was working “in intensified mode” to reconnect power lines.

“It takes time to restore the equipment. The difficulties are compounded by air sirens sounding every hour,” DTEK said.

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The attacks came after Kyiv claimed several attacks on Russian oil tankers, and Moscow expanded strikes on Ukrainian ports and threatened to cut the country off from the sea in retaliation.

Since the beginning of the war, Russia has regularly bombed port infrastructures and Ukrainian vessels.

Ukraine has managed to maintain a corridor for its grain exports and has sunk Russian warships with missiles and sea-borne drones.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday addressed the escalating attacks on Odesa.

“Why does he persistently attack Odesa’s entire logistics system? The answer is clear: to sow chaos, to exert moral pressure during the winter on the people of Odesa and on Ukrainians,” Zelensky said, referring to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.