Russia made another missile strike in Ukraine's port city of Odesa Sunday (July 23), damaging its cathedral and other buildings in its city center, considered a UNESCO world heritage site.
The shower of Iskander, Kalibr, Onix, and other missiles was the second in a row this week after an earlier strike Tuesday (July 18) as a "retribution" for an assault that had destroyed the Kerch Strait Bridge connecting the Crimean Peninsula to the Russian mainland. Authorities said at least 22 people, including children, were injured in Sunday's attacks. One person has also been killed in the latest missile strike, as per The Guardian.
The strikes also followed Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal allowing Ukrainian grain to be shipped out of the Bosphorus and into the world from Odesa. The Kremlin's objective was to destroy the port infrastructure in Odesa, as well as all inbound and outbound ships there, as considered legitimate targets.
"The main purpose of the Russian missile attacks on Odesa and the region is an attempt to cut off Ukraine's access to the Black Sea, and to use intimidation to prevent and neutralise international efforts to restore the functioning of the grain corridor," Ukrainian security council secretary Oleksiy Danilov said on Facebook.
Three people were killed, and 13 were injured in an earlier missile strike in the city last month.
Read Also: Russian Missile Kills 3, Injures 13 in Odesa
Zelensky: 'We Will Retaliate'
The attack on Odesa came hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in St. Petersburg, Politico reported.
In reaction, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to retaliate after the attack on Odesa. "Missiles against peaceful cities, against residential buildings, a cathedral..." he said in a statement on Telegram. "There can be no excuse for Russian evil."
Odesa oblast governor Oleh Kiper added six residential buildings were damaged or destroyed in the strikes.
One of the missiles in the latest strike hit Odesa's historic Transfiguration Cathedral, resulting in interior and exterior damages to the place of worship.
Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa was built in the 18th century during Russian imperial times and was destroyed during the Soviet era under Joseph Stalin. The cathedral was rebuilt in the early 2000s.
Related Article: Russia Attacks Ukraine's Port of Odesa in Retaliation for Crimea Bridge Strike
