Russia strikes Odesa killing three as von der Leyen arrives in Kyiv

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Russian strikes killed at least three people in Odesa on Wednesday, Ukrainian authorities said, as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv to discuss defense cooperation with Ukraine.

Governor of the Odesa region, Oleh Kiper, said Russia had launched a “massive combined missile and drone attack” on the region for the fifth consecutive day, accusing Moscow of “deliberately targeting the civilian population” alongside industrial and port infrastructure.

A missile strike hit a residential high-rise, killing three people and injuring at least three others, while rescue workers pulled three residents — including two children — from the damaged building. “Cleanup operations are ongoing,” Kiper said, adding that investigators were documenting what he described as Russian war crimes.

The latest attack comes as Russia steps up its campaign against Ukraine’s Black Sea ports.

On Tuesday, Russia’s defense ministry said its forces had struck military-industrial facilities in Kyiv and port infrastructure at Yuzhny island near Odesa that it claimed was being used to unload and store fuel for the Ukrainian military. Moscow has intensified attacks on the Greater Odesa port cluster in recent days, targeting infrastructure critical to Ukraine’s wartime exports and economy.

Von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv for her 11th wartime visit to “ announce new initiatives to integrate our defence industries ,” so Europe and Ukraine could “produce more, and faster.” She said the talks would also cover Ukraine’s EU membership bid and preparations for another winter of Russian attacks.