Russia fired missiles at Ukraine's Odesa port, killing 8 people and injuring dozens, while Ukraine attacked a Russian oil drilling platform in the Caspian Sea.
Foreign news agencies reported that Russia launched missile strikes on infrastructure near Odesa port in southern Ukraine, causing at least 8 deaths and 27 injuries, as Russia intensified heavy attacks on the strategically important Black Sea region amid critical ongoing peace negotiations to end the war.
The attack took place late Friday night, damaging transport infrastructure. Reports indicated some injured were trapped inside a bus at the center of the strike, while multiple trucks caught fire in the parking area.
Ukrainian officials stated this barrage was part of Russia's ongoing campaign targeting civilian infrastructure in Odesa city, leaving over 2 million residents without electricity, water, and heating for several days amid freezing winter temperatures in the war's fourth year.
Additionally, Moscow struck Odesa port again on Saturday, targeting a reservoir. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba said this was a deliberate attack directly aimed at civilian logistics routes.
This escalation occurred as both sides exchanged blows on multiple fronts, while peace talks led by the United States and several high-level European meetings to end the war have continued slowly without significant progress.
On Saturday, Russia claimed it had captured the village of Svitle in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine and the village of Vysoke in Sumy region in the northeast. However, these reports have not been independently confirmed.
Ukraine responded by expanding its operations targeting Russian military assets and energy sites. On Friday night, Ukrainian drones attacked the Filanovsky oil rig in the Caspian Sea, owned by Russian energy giant Lukoil, along with military patrol vessels near the rig.
This marked the first official Ukrainian admission of striking drilling infrastructure in the Caspian Sea, although the rig had been attacked at least twice before in December.
Additionally, according to the UK Ministry of Defence intelligence, between 14 and 15 December, Ukrainian forces used maritime drones to attack a Russian Kilo-class submarine at the Novorossiysk naval base in the Black Sea.
Follow international news at:https://www.thairath.co.th/news/foreign
Source:aljazeera