Vladimir Putin launches deadly ballistic missile strike on Ukraine | World | News

Putin’s army has launched an intense overnight aerial bombardment on Odesa, leading to massive fires breaking out in the port city.

Local residents described the attack as “powerful” and the situation as “f****d up”, as the port reverberated to the sounds of huge explosions.

Reports suggest that civilian infrastructure has been targeted in the latest missile strike.

Images posted to social media channels show a gigantic ball of flame leaping into the night’s sky, with thick plumes of black acrid smoke spiralling upwards.

As a result of today’s shelling, at least 13 people were injured, said the head of the OVA Oleg Kiper.

Preliminary reports suggest that the Novaya Poshta warehouse was hit in the attack.

There are unconfirmed reports that some of the warehouse workers have been killed.

Odesa is an important port on the Black Sea for Ukraine, allowing it to ship grain out of the country.

It has been targeted by repeated airstrikes since the war broke out in February 2022.

Yesterday, a similar attack killed at least three people, the mayor of the city said.

“The enemy attacked Odesa with ballistic missiles. As a result of the attack, three people were killed and three more were wounded,” Gennadiy Trukhanov wrote on the messaging app Telegram.

Russia has been using a modified version of the X-69 cruise missile in some of its most recent attacks.

The Trypilska thermal plant that supplied energy to Kyiv and its region was completely destroyed by one of the lethal rockets in April.

Whereas the older model had a range of 300 km (186 miles), the new one can reach targets as far away as 400 km (248).

The X-69 is a Russian subsonic cruise missile for tactical aircraft, which can be launched from Su-34 and Su-35 fighter jets. It is armed with a 310kg warhead.

It is also able to fly at an ultra-low altitude of 20 metres, making it much more difficult to shoot down.