The death toll rises to eight in a Russian missile attack on the port of Odessa

The death toll from a Russian missile attack on port infrastructure in southern Ukraine has risen to eight, according to Oleh Kiper, head of the Odessa Regional Military Administration (OVA).

Initially, six people were confirmed dead following the Russian attack on Wednesday, October 9th. However, Kiper reported Thursday that a 46-year-old port employee died in hospital from serious injuries.

“The doctors did everything they could, but the injuries were too severe,” Kiper wrote.

Another death was reported later in the day, around 1 p.m.

“The number of victims of yesterday’s attack has risen to eight. “A 26-year-old man succumbed to his injuries in hospital,” Kiper added.

Russia has targeted Ukraine’s coastal Odessa region throughout the war, frequently attacking ships and grain silos in what Kiev says was an illegal attempt to cripple its export capacity.

Before the Russian invasion in February 2022, Ukraine was one of the world’s largest grain exporters. However, repeated attacks on its ports and storage facilities have drastically reduced production.

The Oct. 9 attack also hit a Panamanian-flagged civilian container ship, marking the third attack on a civilian ship in just four days.

This latest attack follows a Russian missile attack two days earlier on a Palau-flagged ship in the port of Odessa, which killed a 60-year-old Ukrainian employee of a private cargo handling company and injured five other foreigners.

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction, Oleksiy Kuleba, said of the attack:

“This is a deliberate tactic to intimidate and obstruct the functioning of the Ukrainian maritime corridor. The attacker is once again attempting to disrupt Black Sea shipping and undermine Ukraine’s efforts to ensure global food security.”