KYIV (Reuters) -A Russian missile attack on the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa struck civilian infrastructure and injured at least three people, including a 19-year-old boy, on Monday morning, regional governor Oleh Kiper said.
The attack damaged a storage facility where some 50 people were working, military and regional authorities said. A massive cloud of smoke rose from the site where firefighters battled a fire, pictures published by the interior ministry showed.
The air force said it had prevented one of two cruise missiles launched by Russia from reaching the target.
Kiper said on national television that around 5,000 square metres had been damaged in the attack and that a fire had spread over 3,000 square metres.
Two middle-aged men in addition to the 19-year-old boy were taken to hospital, Kiper said on the Telegram messaging app.
The air force had warned the city’s residents of the threat of incoming missiles before the explosions sounded.
Odesa has been a frequent target of Russian forces in the 28-month-long full-scale invasion, with many attacks aimed at the city’s port facilities. Russia denies targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure.
(Reporting by Anastasiia Malenko; Editing by Tom Balmforth, Alison Williams and Gareth Jones)
