Russia’s attacks on Odesa Oblast’s ports continue its campaign of grain terror. Russia is using terror to compete for international wheat markets. As of 23 August 2023, Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development Oleksandr Kubrakov said this was the eighth attack on port infrastructure since Russia withdrew from the Grain Initiative. In total, 270,000 tonnes of grain had been destroyed in a month of attacks on the ports.
We are collecting information about the Russian Federation’s crimes against nature in Odesa and Odesa Oblast during the war: environmental pollution from explosions and damage to infrastructure, contamination of air, water and soil with toxic substances, destruction of ecosystems in protected natural areas and internationally significant conservation areas, and more. We will update this information daily, so please send any facts you know to the following address:zeleniy.list1@gmal.com
02.08.2023
Overnight on 2 August, Russian forces launched attack drones towards southern Odesa Oblast. The attack caused fires at port and industrial infrastructure facilities on the Danube.
According to the Office of the Prosecutor General, shelling damaged or destroyed a grain elevator, grain hangars, tanks at a cargo terminal, and production, storage and administrative premises. The three-storey maritime terminal building in Izmail was also severely damaged.
During the overnight attack on Odesa Oblast, Russian forces damaged almost 40,000 tonnes of grain intended for countries in Africa, China and Israel, Ukraine’s Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov reported.
07.08.2023
A sea mine carried by a storm towards Odesa Oblast’s Black Sea coast detonated on its own in the open sea. Ukraine’s Southern Defence Forces reported this onTelegram. The military recorded anexplosionmore than a kilometre from the water’s edge.
14.08.2023
The enemy attacked Odesa Oblast three times overnight, using two waves of attack drones — 15 in total — and eight sea-launched Kalibr missiles. Air defence forces repelled all the attacks.
Debris from missiles shot down after the enemy launched them towards central Odesa damaged a student dormitory and a supermarket.
The blast wave shattered windows and damaged balconies in several buildings and damaged vehicles parked nearby.
Fires broke out at two sites. Three supermarket employees were injured.
16.08.2023
The enemy attacked Ukraine’s southern regions in several waves of attack drones. Air defence forces destroyed 13 Shahed-136 drones.
Continuing its campaign of terror against ports and grain facilities, the enemy struck a port in Odesa Oblast, destroying grain hangars and agricultural machinery. The resulting fires were quickly extinguished.
There were no reports of casualties.
23.08.2023
Anotherattack on the Danube ports. Shahed drone strikes destroyed 13,000 tonnes of grain. This wasreportedby Ukraine’s Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development,Oleksandr Kubrakov.
“Another Russian attack on the Danube ports. Russia destroyed 13,000 tonnes of grain in a Shahed drone attack on the port of Izmail. Several private grain terminals and warehouses, as well as cargo infrastructure, were damaged. The agricultural produce was intended for Egypt and Romania,” he said.
The attack by the invading forces reduced the port of Izmail’s export capacity by 15%. This was the eighth attack on port infrastructure since Russia withdrew from the Grain Initiative.
25.08.2023
Overnight, the enemy once again launched air- and sea-based missiles from the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. Two Kh-59 guided air-launched missiles were fired towards the southern regions from Su-34 aircraft over the Black Sea, and two Kalibr cruise missiles from a small missile ship in the Sea of Azov. One Shahed attack drone was also launched from the direction of Primorsko-Akhtarsk.
All five targets were destroyed by Air Force personnel and equipment: the missiles over Odesa Oblast and the attack drone over Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
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UNESCO carried out a preliminary assessment of the damageinflicted on Ukraine’s cultural heritage sites during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“As of 26 July 2023, UNESCO had verified damage to 274 sites since 24 February 2022: 117 religious sites, 27 museums, 98 buildings of historical and/or artistic interest, 19 monuments, 12 libraries and one archive”, according to the organisation’sofficial website .
Eight damaged heritage sites in Odesa have so far been included in the list: Odesa Fine Arts Museum, Odesa Archaeological Museum, the Maritime Museum, Odesa Literary Museum, St Nicholas Church, the Transfiguration Cathedral, the Chyzhevych residential building and the Solomos residential building.
The mission’s work in Odesa is continuing.
Photos from publicly available sources.