Death Toll Rises to Eight in Russian Missile Attack on Odesa Port

The death toll from a Russian ballistic missile strike on port infrastructure in Ukraine‘s southern Odesa has risen to eight, according to Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration (OVA).

Initially, six people were confirmed dead following the Russian strike on Wednesday, Oct. 9. However, Kiper reported on Thursday that a 46-year-old port employee had died from severe injuries in the hospital.

“The doctors did everything they could, but the injuries were too severe,” Kiper wrote.

Later in the day, around 1 p.m., another fatality was reported.

“The number of victims from yesterday’s attack has increased to eight. A 26-year-old man succumbed to his injuries in the hospital,” Kiper added.

Russia has targeted Ukraine’s coastal Odesa region throughout the war, frequently attacking ships and grain silos in what Kyiv has described as an illegal effort to cripple its export capacity.

Before the Russian invasion in February 2022, Ukraine was one of the world’s largest grain exporters. However, repeated attacks on its ports and storage facilities have drastically reduced its output.

The Oct. 9 strike also hit a civilian container ship flying the Panamanian flag, marking the third attack on a civilian vessel in just four days.

This latest attack follows a Russian missile strike two days earlier on a Palau-flagged ship docked at the Odesa port, which killed a 60-year-old Ukrainian employee of a private cargo handling company and injured five other foreign nationals.

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Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction, Oleksiy Kuleba, said of the attack:

“This is a deliberate tactic to intimidate and obstruct the functioning of Ukraine’s maritime corridor. The aggressor is once again attempting to disrupt Black Sea shipping and undermine Ukraine’s efforts to ensure global food security.”