Kyiv: Ukraine鈥檚 southern port of Odesa was hit by Russian missiles overnight, destroying grain stores, the Ukrainian military said Monday.
Russia 鈥渁ttacked the south of the country again,鈥� the Defense Forces of the South of Ukraine said on the messaging platform Telegram.
Since July when Moscow pulled out of a UN-brokered deal allowing safe grain shipments via the Black Sea, Russia has ramped up attacks on Ukraine鈥檚 grain-exporting infrastructure in the southern Odesa and Mykolaiv regions.
Nataliya Gumenyuk, spokeswoman for the Ukrainian southern military command, said Russia was apparently 鈥渢rying to test out the density of the air defense.鈥�
鈥淭hey understand that port infrastructure is a priority for our region, and that it is reliably protected. However, that is why the attack that occurred tonight was both massive and by combined means,鈥� she said on Telegram.
The Defense Forces of the South of Ukraine said Russia directed 19 drones and 2 Onyx supersonic missiles at Odesa, and fired 12 Kalibr missiles.
They claimed all 19 Shaheds and 11 Kalibrs 鈥渨ere shot down.鈥�
However, Russia did 鈥渉it the port infrastructure鈥� in Odesa, which 鈥渟uffered significant damage,鈥� they said.
鈥淥nyx missiles destroyed granaries. But people were not hurt,鈥� they said.
Warehouses and a private house in the Odesa suburbs were damaged and caught fire, they added, 鈥渁s a result of falling debris.鈥�
Gumenyuk said one of the grain stores hit was empty.
鈥淣evertheless, hitting grain deal-related infrastructure,鈥� she said, was a Russian 鈥減riority.鈥�
Odesa regional governor Oleg Kiper said on Telegram that one woman in Odesa, a civilian, was injured by shrapnel 鈥渋n a blast wave鈥� and was being treated in hospital.
Ukraine is testing a new Black Sea route that avoids international waters and uses those controlled by NATO members Bulgaria and Romania.
A first ship loaded with wheat reached Istanbul on Thursday despite Russian threats to attack boats heading to or from Ukraine.
A second shipment reached Turkiye on Sunday, according to maritime traffic monitoring sites.
Russia and Ukraine are two major agricultural powers whose supplies are crucial for global food security.
Moscow鈥檚 invasion of its neighbor in February last year 鈥� and subsequent international sanctions 鈥� have destabilized global supplies and markets.
Meanwhile Russia鈥檚 defense ministry said its air defenses had 鈥渄estroyed鈥� four unmanned aerial vehicles over the northwestern Black Sea, and the Crimean peninsula which Moscow annexed in 2014.
It said two drones each were intercepted in Kursk and Bryansk, two regions bordering Ukraine.
Kursk regional governor Roman Starovoyt said several homes and the roof of an administrative building were damaged 鈥渄ue to an attack by Ukrainian UAVs鈥� in the Central district.
No casualties were reported.
Bryansk regional governor Aleksandr Bogomaz said there were 鈥渘o casualties or damage鈥� in the region.