Kyiv/Moscow, July 15 (SANA)Russia and Ukraine intensified attacks across the Black Sea on Wednesday, with a Russian strike killing three people in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa while Ukrainian drones targeted Russian vessels in a widening campaign against Moscow’s maritime logistics.

According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper saidRussialaunched a large-scale missile and drone attack on southernUkrainefor the fifth consecutive day, striking civilian and industrial infrastructure as well as port facilities.

Ukrainian authorities said three people were killed and at least three others injured after a Russian missile hit a seven-story residential building in Odesa.

The attacks come as Russia has stepped up strikes on Ukraine’sBlack Seaports, including the Greater Odesa port complex, a key hub for the country’s wartime exports. Ukraine, meanwhile, has expanded operations aimed at disrupting Russian logistics in occupied southern territories and isolating the Crimean Peninsula.

Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Drone Forces, said Ukrainian drones struck 20 Russian vessels in the Black Sea overnight, including 17 oil tankers. He added that 116 ships had come under attack in the Sea of Azov since the beginning of the month.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces carried out overnight strikes on Ukrainian port infrastructure in Odesa and Chornomorsk, as well as four vessels it said were transporting military cargo for Ukrainian forces at the ports of Chornomorsk and Dnipro-Buh.

The latest attacks underscore the continuing escalation of the war, with both sides expanding long-range strikes deep into each other’s territory and showing no sign of easing the conflict, which has continued since February 2022.