Russia launches more strikes on Ukraine’s Odesa region: one dead, largest Orthodox cathedral destroyed

Russia has carried out another strike on the Odesa region, head of the regional administration Oleh Kiper reports.

The attack killed one civilian, 19 more were injured, including four children (three of them were taken to hospital). In total, 14 people were rushed to hospitals.

One of the missiles damaged the Transfiguration Cathedral, the largest Orthodox church in Odesa that is run by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP). Projectiles also hit residential buildings, two historical monuments were damaged as well.

Media outlets report that at least five types of missiles were used: Kalibr, Oniks, Kh-22, Iskander-K, and Iskander-M.

People were performing round-the-clock prayers in Odesa’s Transfiguration Cathedral when Russia bombed it. No one was injured, Metropolitan Kliment,a senior member of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, told Strana.ua.

“The Transfiguration Cathedral’s altar part was directly hit during the nighttime attack on the city of Odesa by Russian troops. At the time, there were people inside the building who were praying around the clock. Fortunately, no one was injured. The church’s relics also miraculously survived,” he said. “The cathedral building itself has been severely damaged. A part of it, particularly the altar, has been fully destroyed along with the holy throne.

The Russian Defence Ministry claimed responsibility for the latest round of Odesa strikes. The agency said that the attack was carried out on facilities involved in preparation for terror attacks against Russia that envisioned using uncrewed boats as well as the sites that manufactured them in the city.

“Foreign mercenaries were present at the stricken facilities. All the targets planned for the strike were hit,” spokesperson for the Defence Ministry Igor Konashenkov said.

At the same time, the ministry is denying attacking the Transfiguration Cathedral, shifting the blame for the destruction on Ukraine.

One of the Crimean Bridge sections was damaged in the early hours of 17 July. A man and a woman who were travelling along the bridge in a car were killed, their underage daughter was injured. The Russian Foreign Ministry retaliated later that day by announcing a unilateral termination of the grain deal on 18 July.

Odesa was then hit by the first round of strikes on 18 July: six Kalibr missiles were launched from the Black Sea, they were all intercepted by Ukraine’s air-defence systems. The missile debris and shockwaves damaged port infrastructure and several private houses, the regional command reported. A senior man was injured and taken to hospital. Moreover, 21 Shahed drones were downed over the Odesa region. The Kremlin and the Russian Defence Ministry described the nighttime attack on Odesa as “retaliation for the Crimean Bridge”.

In the early hours of 19 July, at least 10 people were injured in another Russian army strike on the Odesa region. Moreover, projectiles landed on grain and oil terminals in the port, destroying 60,000 tonnes of grain earmarked for China.

Another Russian strike hit Odesa early on 20 July. Spokesperson for Ukraine’s South operational command Nataliya Gumenyuk reported that four people had been injured in the attack. According to her, an administrative building in the centre of Odesa was destroyed, while attacks in the region damaged warehouses facilities.

In the early hours of 21 July, the Russian army launched a missile strike on grain storage facilities in the Odesa region, two people were injured.