Russia shelled Nikolaev and Odessa in response to the undermining of the Crimean bridge

In response to the blowing up of the Crimean bridge, Russia attacked with rockets and kamikaze drones the two largest port cities of Ukraine – Nikolaev and Odessa. This was reported by TSN and Zerkalo Nedeli.

On the night of July 18, the authorities of both cities warned residents almost every hour about air-raid alerts. As a result of the attacks, a fire broke out in Nikolaev, said the head of the Nikolaev administration, Vitaly Kim. As Mash explains to the Ukrainian public, the fire broke out in an oil depot area near the port.

Explosions were also heard in the sky over Odessa. First, the city was attacked by drones, of which at least six were shot down. Later, the authorities warned of a missile attack – at least six were fired in the direction of Odessa “Caliber” cruise missiles. in the morning atThe operational command “South” of the Ukrainian army reported that they were shot down. Despite this, powerful explosions thundered through the city, including reports of “arrival” at the port of Odessa.

“Unfortunately, port infrastructure facilities and several private households were damaged by fragments from the downed missiles and the shockwave from the shootdown. An elderly man was injured in his own home and was taken to the hospital,” the Armed Forces of Ukraine explained.

The command also said that 21 Shahed drones were shot down on approach from the sea in the Odessa area, and four more in the Mykolaiv region. One of the drones hit an “industrial facility” in Mykolaiv.

Odessa and Nikolaev are the largest port cities under Ukrainian control, from where grain was exported under the grain agreement between Kiev, Moscow, Ankara and the UN. The deal expired on July 17 and Russia refused to renew it after Ukraine attacked the Crimean bridge.

On the night of July 17, two explosions sounded on the Crimean bridge. As a result of the incident, two people were killed: a married couple Alexei and Natalia Kulik from the Belgorod region. Their 14-year-old daughter suffered moderate injuries. The bridge has been closed to traffic indefinitely. Train traffic resumed in the morning.

In the evening, Russian President Vladimir Putin promised to answer for Kiev’s attack on the Crimean bridge. “This is another terrorist act by the Kiev regime. <…> Of course, there will be a response from Russia,” he said, adding that the Ministry of National Defense was already “preparing appropriate proposals.”

Explosions also thundered in other regions of Ukraine, in particular in the Kharkiv region, and in the Dnepropetrovsk and Poltava regions an air alert was declared. The TSN publication reported explosions in Kharkov, the city had an air defense system.