Russia attacking southern Ukraine with 'unusual' number of aircraft carrier-destroying missiles

Russia has been attacking Odesa and other areas of southern Ukraine with an "unusual" number of missiles originally designed to destroy aircraft carriers, the MOD has said.

The long-range strikes have been carried out with some 5-5-tonne AS-4 KITCHEN missiles, in the past week.

According to UK intelligence, the damage caused by the strikes has included grain silos at Chornomorsk Port, south of Odesa, as well as the historic city centre.

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It comes as Ukrainian military authorities say Russia launched a drone attack on the Ukrainian capital early on Tuesday.  

The head of the administration, Serhiy Popko, posted on the Telegram social media channel that all the drones had been shot down.

No casualties or serious damage were reported.

On Monday, Russia is believed to have extended drone strikes to docks on the Danube River – around 200 metres from Romania's border with Ukraine.

A lethal Russian air attack left the historic Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa significantly damaged.

Moscow generally refrained from striking civil infrastructure in southern ports, between August 2022 and June 2023, due to the Black Sea Grain Initiative – which guaranteed the export of grain from the region for a year.

As Russia failed to renew the deal, the MOD says the Kremlin likely feels less politically restrained and is targeting Odesa as it believes Ukraine is storing military assets in those areas.

The MOD update added that Russia's strike campaign has been characterised by "poor intelligence" and a "dysfunctional" targeting process.