Russian Missile Attack Damages Odesa Art Museum and Ukrainian Medals Ceremony, Investigations Launched

Art museum in historic, culture-rich city of Odesa hit, along with an open-air ceremony, risking Ukrainian military personnel; 19 soldiers reported dead in the attack as Ukraine retaliates by damaging a Russian naval vessel.

A day after Ukraine damaged a Russian naval vessel, Russia struck the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa with missiles and drones, hitting an art museum and injuring five people.
A Ukrainian medal ceremony in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia was struck by Russian forces, resulting in the death of 19 soldiers. The ceremony was unusually held in the open, near the front lines, for which Ukrainian military officials have initiated a criminal investigation.
Russia's missile attack also damaged Odesa's Fine Arts Museum, a significant cultural site and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, causing harm to seven exhibits.
Ukrainian forces damaged a small Russian missile ship, the Askold, in an airstrike on the city of Kerch in the Crimean region, which is occupied and illegally annexed by Russia.
Despite Ukraine's proactive efforts against Russia's naval dominance, the war front has seen little change in terms of territorial control. These latest attacks signal an escalation in the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.