Odesa, Ukraine, 20 December (H.S.): A ferocious Russian ballistic missile assault late Friday targeted critical port infrastructure in Ukraine's Odesa region, claiming seven lives and injuring 15 others, as confirmed by regional governor Oleh Kiper, who detailed the strike's ignition of a massive fire in a truck parking lot adjacent to the facilities.

The barrage, executed in the evening hours of December 19, struck facilities near the Pivdennyi port—one of Odesa's three key Black Sea export hubs vital for grain and logistics—amid ongoing air raid alerts that hampered emergency responders from 12 regions deployed to the area.

Governor Kiper reported on social media that the enemy unleashed a massive salvo, with preliminary tallies indicating seven fatalities and 15 hospitalizations, underscoring the assault's precision against maritime assets despite recent diplomatic overtures in Miami involving U.S., Ukrainian, and European officials.

Rescue operations faced severe impediments from persistent sirens, as flames engulfed cargo trucks, complicating efforts to extinguish the blaze and aid the wounded receiving urgent medical care.

This devastation escalates Moscow's intensified campaign against Odesa's coastal infrastructure, following President Vladimir Putin's early December ultimatum to seal off Ukraine's sea access in reprisal for Kyiv's strikes on Russia's shadow fleet tankers—culminating Friday in Ukraine's first Mediterranean hit on such a sanctions-evasion vessel in neutral waters.

Recent weeks have seen relentless Russian barrages demolish bridges to Moldova, sever power and heating to hundreds of thousands amid freezing conditions, and damage foreign-flagged civilian ships, transforming the vital export corridor into a protracted flashpoint.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar