Odessa suffers constant attacks from the Russian military machine
The city of Odessa is being targeted again by Russian forces. it’s being bombarded from offshore Russian cruise missiles. They belong to their Naval units that are situated offshore on the Black Sea The Russian military have also resorted to numerous drone attacks against the besieged city.
Earlier Attacks
Attacks against Odessa from the Russians actually began from the first day of their Invasion, That began early morning of February 24th in 2022. At that time they were mainly bombarding warehouses in the city. Later on those attacks were extended to taking down defense systems like radar installations. The casualties were quite high at least in the first part of the attack. At least 22 people were killed and others who were injured included civilians as well as some of the fighting troops of Ukraine.
Civilian Evacuations and Damage
The city was evacuated in the early part of the war as evacuation trains started to take civilians away from Odessa. They were taken to neighboring places like a Chemists and Uzhhorod. Later evacuation train started operating on 8th of March. At midday on the 2nd of March 2022, Russian forces began attacking the village of Dachne to the northwest of Odessa. This is where natural gas pipelines are situated. The shelling attacks set fire to nearby houses and also a garage. Following that round of attacks, later heavy shelling was also extended to other nearby places. Russian warships also started shelling Ukrainian civilian vessels, which included the Helt in Odessa. This caused the vessel to sink.
Recent Attacks
The latest round of attacks on Odessa follows a steady escalation by Russian forces set on establishing a more victorious display following months of near stagnation against determined Ukrainian resistance. A further casualty of recent attacks is the hard won Black Grain Initiative, which allowed for essential food products to be exported to many third world countries desperate to feed their hungry people. Accordingly, the recent hit on a civilian vessel has effectively paused the program for the foreseeable future.
According to UNESCO and local sources in Odessa, many historical sites, in monuments, have been damaged in the latest round of attacks.
Image: Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa after Russian missile attack Wikipedia – Mkip.gov.ua
