Russian strike on Ukraine's port city of Mykolaiv injures nine, including children

Ukrainian authorities claimed early Thursday (July 20) that nine people were injured, including five children, after a Russian strike on the Ukrainian port city of Mykolaiv.

On Telegram, local governor Vitaliy Kim wrote that "Russians hit the city centre. A garage and a three-story residential building are on fire."

Kim said that a three-year-old and a child less than a year old were among the injured, their condition is not known yet. He didn't provide details about the strike.

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Earlier, Ukraine's air force had announced an air alert for Mykolaiv and other regions. The city's mayor Oleksandr Senkevych wrote on Telegram: "There is a huge hole in the ground near a three-story residential building."

He said that emergency services were working at the site and "at least five residential high-rise buildings were damaged". He added that at another address "several garages" were on fire.

Mykolaiv is located on the Black Sea, about 170 kilometres from Moscow-annexed Crimea and has often been targeted by Moscow during the war.

Kim said on Tuesday that an "industrial facility" in the city had been targeted in a strike launched hours after the Kremlin failed to renew a pact allowing Ukraine's grain exports to be safe.

Attack on Odesa

Ukrainian authorities also said that Russia attacked the southern port city of Odesa for the third night in a row as the region's military administration Oleh Kiper said in a post on Telegram that at least two people were injured in the attacks.

The Ukrainian air force said early Thursday that at least eight Russian Tu-22M3 aircraft were "flying in the direction of the Black Sea."

Watch: Ukrainian president aide admits counteroffensive will take long

Russia captures railway station

In another development, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Wednesday that its forces had captured Movchanove railway station in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region.

Ukraine, which reclaimed much of the territory last September, warned this week that Russia was again on the attack in the region, with "heavy fighting" taking place.

Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov said that Russian forces also launched strikes on military-industrial sites, a fuel and ammunition store in Odesa, and a Ukrainian Air Force air base in the Kirovogradska region.

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

(With inputs from agencies)

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