Russian troops strike Odesa with missiles: building of UOC-MP monastery hit, civilians injured

Vladyslav Nazarov, a spokesman for the South Operational Command, provided details of the attack.

"Three Kh-59 air-to-surface guided missiles were fired by Su-35 fighter jets from the direction of the Black Sea. Two missiles were shot down by air defense forces. One missile hit the three-story building of the monastery of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)," Nazarov said. 

He added that 4 people were injured as a result of the missile strike. Three of them were lightly injured by the blast wave, and one person was hospitalized.

The head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, also informed about the shelling on Telegram. According to him, Russian forces fired 4 missiles at Odesa, preliminary, Kh-59 type. 

"Two missiles were shot down by air defense forces, and two more, unfortunately, hit the city. A three-story building on the territory of the monastery was damaged - there are three injured," he wrote.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Ukrainian air defense had shot down 2 missiles.

"At about 7:40 p.m. on March 21, 2023, in the sky over the Odesa region, the air defense forces and means of the South Air Command shot down two Kh-59 air-to-surface guided missiles fired by Russian Su-35 fighter jets from the Black Sea," the statement said.

Earlier, the Odesa Military District reported the shelling. 

"The enemy launched a missile attack on the Odesa region. Enemy SU-35 fighter jets launched missiles from the sea. Thanks to the effective work of air defense forces, some of the missiles were destroyed, but there were hits, which partially damaged a civilian building," the statement said. 

According to preliminary data, there were no casualties, but there are victims of the missile strike. "As of 8:40 p.m., the State Emergency Service units have localized the fire," added Yuriy Kruk, head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration.