Ukraine accuses Russia of shooting three missiles that travel at ten times the speed of sound over the strategically important Black Sea city of Odessa.
On May 9, Ukraine stated that a commercial mall and two hotels in the vicinity had been decimated by a Russian military airstrike.
Sergey Bratchuk, a military spokesman for the Odessa region, also accused the Russian military of firing three Kinzhal hypersonic missiles from the plane, which “struck the target of tourist infrastructure.”
According to a Bratchuk official, two persons were hospitalised as a result of the Russian missile strike. He didn’t say what the target was, but US media reports indicated it was a hotel in the hamlet of Zatoka.
On May 9, the second hotel in the Odessa area will be attacked. It’s unclear why the two hotels, or the resident of one of them, were targeted by the Russian rocket.
According to the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s Southern Operations Command, a commercial centre in Odessa was also damaged by seven missiles.
After Russia stated that it was transferring the focus of its special military operation to eastern and southern Ukraine, tensions in the Odessa region have escalated. Odessa is a strategically important city because it allows Russia to dominate both the Black Sea region of Ukraine and a land route from Crimea to the Russian mainland.
On March 19, Russia announced that it had destroyed an underground armoury in Western Ukraine using Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, marking the first time Moscow has utilised advanced missiles in a military assault in the neighbouring country. Following that, Russia used this weapon a couple more times.
In March, US President Joe Biden confirmed two examples of Russian employment of Kinzhal missiles, stating that Russian weaponry made little impact in Moscow’s military effort other than the fact that they were nearly hard to intercept.
Weapons that can travel at least 5 times the speed of sound are known as hypersonic missiles. It has a substantially different trajectory than ordinary rockets, in addition to its great speed. As a result, it’s a powerful weapon against enemy fortifications. Furthermore, Russia’s Kinzhal missile can carry a nuclear warhead, making it a versatile and potent deterrence to opponents.
