Putin bombs Odessa in shameless bid to cause famine: Terrifying moment Ukrainian port is rocked by massive explosion in drone barrage as Russia’s barbaric invasion rumbles on

Russia hit the Black Sea region of Odessa with a drone barrage that damaged a warehouse, charred dozens of trucks and injured two drivers in fiery explosions that led to the suspension of ferry service between Romania and Ukraine, officials said Tuesday.

Video footage from the Romanian side of the Danube showed rapid bursts of Ukrainian anti-aircraft fire streaking across the night sky, followed by two orange fireballs exploding near the port area. Photos showed burnt-out truck frames.

Romanian Border Police said ferries were anchored on the Romanian banks of the Danube in Isaccea as a result of the attacks on Ukraine. Traffic was diverted via Galati, a Romanian city upstream on the Danube.

Ukraine’s air force said it had downed 26 of 38 drones launched by Russia.

Russian forces targeted the Izmail area of ​​the Odessa region, in what has become an ongoing campaign to target Ukraine’s ability to export grain. Attacks on Monday killed two people at a grain warehouse in Odesa and severely damaged an abandoned high-rise hotel, officials said.

Romanian Border Police said ferries were anchored on the Romanian banks of the Danube in Isaccea due to the attacks on Ukraine

Russian troops targeted the area of ​​Izmail in the Odesa region

After Moscow withdrew from a U.N.-brokered grain deal this summer, attacks on Izmail and towns in the southern part of the Odesa region became routine. Attacks on the cities on the Danube have been especially damaging as the route has emerged as the most promising route for continued Ukrainian exports.

At least nine civilians were killed in Ukraine and 15 people were injured in the past 24 hours, the presidential office said, as Russian strikes hit several towns near the war’s front lines where Ukraine is waging its slow-moving counteroffensive.

Although neither side has released casualty figures, the counter-offensive is believed to have taken a heavy toll on both sides and had devastating effects on the towns and villages where the fighting took place.

New aerial video footage of Klishchiivka, on the outskirts of Bakhmut, taken by drone for The Associated Press, shows how the fighting has turned the village in eastern Ukraine into rubble after months of intense fighting.

At least nine civilians have been killed and 15 people injured in the past 24 hours, according to the presidential office.

Although neither side has released casualty figures, the counter-offensive is believed to have taken a heavy toll on both sides and been devastating to the towns and villages where the fighting took place.

The footage taken two days ago shows the village in ruins, with destroyed Russian tanks and military vehicles lining the main road. There is hardly a building left intact in the village where almost 400 people once lived.

A rare structure with four walls still standing was missing its roof. Some walls stood like tombstones to indicate where someone once lived.

Ukraine retook the village on September 17 after months of fighting, two days after the neighboring country reclaimed Andriivka, the Ukrainian military said.

Both are small towns but were considered tactically important for the Ukrainian forces as they expanded territorial gains around Bakhmut, 10 kilometers to the north.

The village’s commanding heights overlook the Russian-occupied city of Bakhmut and provide new opportunities for Ukrainian forces to encircle the city.

It may also give the Ukrainians a better view of Russia’s logistics lines.