Ukrainian air force shoots down 16 drones over Odesa region

Ukraine’s air force shot down 16 out of 20 Iranian-made “Shahed” drones launched by Russia overnight in the fifth attack this week on the southern Odesa region, regional and military officials said on Friday.

Russia has intensified air attacks on Ukrainian grain export infrastructure on the Danube River and in the port of Odesa since mid-July, when Moscow quit the UN-brokered deal that allowed safe Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea.

“During the night the Russian terrorists attacked the Odesa region for the fifth time this week,” Oleh Kiper, the Odesa regional governor, said on the Telegram messaging app.

The military command for the South said 14 drones had been shot down over the Odesa region and two more over the Mykolaiv region. It said the drones were launched from Russia and from Crimea, which was seized and annexed by Russia in 2014.

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Kiper said a non-residential building had been damaged by debris from a drone but gave no further details. He reported no casualties in the Odesa region.

Regional officials said Russia had also attacked the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia and the northeastern region of Sumy with missiles, wounding several people.

Ukraine’s emergency services said two people had been hurt in the Sumy region and posted a video showing rescuers pulling out an injured woman from a hole caused by the explosion.

It said in a statement that the 65-year-old woman and a 70-year-old man were rescued after a two-storey residential building was damaged.

Russia did not immediately comment on the latest attacks.