Russian cruise missiles strike villages around Ukraine’s port city of Odesa

Smoke rises in the air after shelling in Odesa, Ukraine, Saturday, July 16, 2022 (Nina Lyashonok/AP/PA)

Russian cruise missiles struck villages around southern Ukraine’s port city of Odesa early on Tuesday, hitting houses, a school and a community centre as Russian President Vladimir Putin was in Iran to discuss a UN-backed proposal to unblock exports of Ukrainian grain.

Russian forces fired seven Kalibr cruise missiles at the Odesa region.