Russia bombs civilian ships in Odesa

The Telegraph: A civilian vessel and port infrastructure were struck by a Russian missile in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa on Friday.

At least four people were injured by the strike, according to regional Governor Oleh Kiper, who added that the vessel was flying the Antiguan flag.

“Debris from, according to preliminary assessment, an Iskander-M missile, damaged port and civilian infrastructure, as well as a civilian ship flying the flag of Antigua,” Kiper said.

The Iskander-M is a ballistic missile which flies at several times the speed of sound and has a stated range of up to 500 km (310 miles).

Air raid alerts were heard across Odesa Oblash at around 2pm local time, and the first strikes were heard in the city moments later.

Odessa Oblast has become a regular target of Russian missile and drone attacks.

The strike follows Ukraine’s accusation last week that Moscow targeted a civilian grain vessel en route from Odesa to Egypt with a cruise missile near Romanian waters.

On July 4th, Russia killed one civilian and injured seven others during another strike on the port with a ballistic missile.