(Updated with details and context)
September 3 (Reuters) –
Russia targeted the Ukrainian region of Odessa, in the south of the country, via drones for three and a half hours on Sunday morning, hitting port infrastructure on the Danube and injuring at least two people, Ukrainian authorities said.
Ukrainian air defense systems shot down 22 of the 25 Iranian-made Shahed drones that Russia launched over the region early in the morning, the Ukrainian Air Force said on Telegram.
Ukraine’s southern military command said on social media that at least two civilians were injured in the attack, saying Moscow attacked “civilian infrastructure on the Danube”.
The Danube has become Ukraine’s main grain export route since Russia decided in July not to extend the UN-brokered deal on grain exports through the Black Sea .
No details were provided on the port infrastructure affected by the Russian attack. The military said a fire resulting from the attack was quickly contained.
Some Ukrainian media have reported explosions in the port of Reni, one of the two main Danube ports operated by Ukraine.
Russia did not immediately comment.
Reuters could not independently verify this information. (Report Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; French version Camille Raynaud and Claude Chendjou)
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