Odesa currently seen as key target for Russian strikes – Air Force

The Russians have now picked the city of Odesa as the key target for their strikes. Overnight Wednesday, they attacked densely populated areas with three Iskander-M ballistic missiles.

That’s according to a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Air Force Ilia Yevlash, who spoke on the air of the national telethon, Ukrinform reports.

"The enemy has now chosen the city of Odesa as its key target. Previously it was Kharkiv, which in fact keeps being attacked. Now the Russians hit densely populated areas of Odesa with three Iskander-M ballistic missiles. As a result, people were killed and injured. This is another manifestation of the bloodthirsty face of Russian terror. This attack is not intended for anything other than intimidation and destabilization," Yevlash noted.

He emphasized that it is very difficult to shoot down ballistic missiles as both Odesa and Kharkiv are located too close to the Russian launch sites.

The spokesman noted that the only system capable of repelling such ballistic attacks is the Patriot. He emphasized that Ukraine needs more such systems and missiles to them to fight against Russian terror.

Yevlash also commented on Russia using cluster warheads for the Odesa attacks.

"It brings nothing but terror as they intimidate the civilian population in a bid to coerce them to some sort of obedience. This is a cynical attack in broad daylight, when hundreds of Odessans went for a stroll along the embankment, some of them walking their pets. Shelling the embankment with cluster munitions is an act of terror and a violation of all possible norms and customs of warfare," said the spokesman of the Air Force.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on the evening of April 29, the Russians struck Odesa with an Iskander missile loaded with cluster munitions. Five people were killed.

Late Tuesday night, Russian ballistic missiles hit Odesa again, killing three.