Three People Killed and Chinese Consulate Damaged in Russian Attacks on Ukrainian Port Cities

The impact of the Russian attack on Mykolaiv. (Wikimedia Commons/National Police of Ukraine)

JAKARTA - At least three people were killed and a Chinese consular building was damaged on Thursday in the third straight night of airstrikes on southern Ukrainian port cities, Ukrainian officials said.

Local governor By Kiper posted a photo showing at least one broken window in the Chinese consulate in Odesa, but no other signs of damage.

"The attacker deliberately hit port infrastructure, administrative buildings, and nearby housing were damaged, as well as the consulate of the People's Republic of China. This shows that the enemy pays no attention to anything," Goalkeeper said on messaging app Telegram, reported by Reuters on July 20.

Meanwhile, Beijing, an ally of Russia, did not immediately comment on the incident, one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 60,000 tonnes of agricultural products bound for China were destroyed in attacks on another port city.

Ukraine's military said Russian troops launched 19 missiles and 19 drones overnight, and five missiles and 13 drones were shot down.

"Russian terrorists are continuing their attempts to destroy the life of our country," President Zelensky said on the messaging app Telegram.

"Together we will get through this terrible time. And we will withstand the onslaught of evil Russia," he said.

In Odesa, a security guard was killed and at least eight other people were injured, including a child, Kiper said.

Meanwhile, in Mykolaiv, local mayor Oleksandr Senkevych said a husband and wife were killed.

Earlier, regional governor Vitaliy Kim said on Thursday, 19 people were injured in the city and several residential buildings were damaged.

Firefighters in Mykolaiv dealt with a massive blaze, which left a three-storey residential building without an upper floor, and an adjacent building was gutted by the flames.

Earlier, Russia's attack on the port of Chornomorsk on Wednesday damaged the export infrastructure for grain and agricultural products that President Zelensky said China would aim for.

Ukrainian officials saw the airstrikes as an attack on global food security, as Kyiv is a major grain exporter. Mykhailo Podolayk, a senior adviser to Zelenskiy, urged the international community to do more in response.

"Are we going to see an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss global food security? The international community chooses... to stand aside," he wrote on Twitter.

Separately, Moscow itself said it had carried out a "retaliatory strike", days after exiting a deal that allowed Ukraine's Black Sea grain shipments, accusing Kyiv of being behind the explosion on a bridge used to transport Russian military supplies.