Kyiv: Russian heavy airstrikes early on Monday damaged five aircraft in an attack on a military target in western Ukraine and started a fire at the Black Sea port of Odesa, according to Ukrainian officials.
For the second night in a row, Kyiv also came under intense attack, but the city reported no significant damage and claimed that the majority of the drones and missiles launched at the capital overnight had been shot down.
As Kyiv gets ready to launch a counteroffensive to try to retake territory held by Russian forces, Moscow has launched a new wave of more frequent and intense air strikes this month.
In a rare admission of damage to a military "target," Ukraine did not name the site or sites hit in the western Khmelnitskiy region, but it did say that work was underway to restore a runway and that five aircraft were taken out of service.
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Before the war, the area was home to a sizable military airfield. The Khmelnitskiy region governor's office stated that efforts are still being made to put out fires that have broken out in munitions, fuel, and lubricant storage facilities.
The military of Ukraine claimed that the attack on Odesa port resulted in a fire and damaged infrastructure but did not say whether the damage put grain exports in danger.
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The port is essential for exporting agricultural products because Ukraine is a major supplier of grains to the world. A UN-mediated agreement on the secure export of grain via the Black Sea also includes it as one of the three parties.
"As a result of the hit, a fire started in Odesa's port infrastructure. It was quickly put out. Updates on the damage's scope have been made, the military's southern command posted on Facebook.
