Fires have broken out in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa on the Black Sea after it was hit by Russian airstrikes early Sunday. “Odessa was attacked from the air,” Anton Herashchenko, adviser to the interior minister, wrote on his Telegram account.
The blasts sent up at least three columns of black smoke with flames visible apparently in an industrial area.
It was initially unclear whether the fires were caused by shelling or missiles.
A soldier near the site of one of the strikes said it was likely a rocket or a missile.
“Fires were reported in some areas. Some of the missiles were shot down by air defence.”
This information could not be independently verified.
The attack comes as Russian forces appeared to be withdrawing from the country’s north.
