After Victory Day, Russian missiles slam into Ukraine port city of Odessa

On Monday night, the Russian military launched a missile strike on a hotel and restaurant complex, which is situated on the coast in the city of Odessa.

Three Kinzhal missiles — Russia's new hypersonic missiles — were fired from a plane and hit a "tourist infrastructure target", said Sergey Bratchuk, a spokesperson for the Odesa regional military administration.

"While seeking strategic targets, obsolete missiles managed to hit an 'extremely dangerous' shopping center and a warehouse for consumer goods,'' Natalya Gumenyuk, a military spokeswoman, said on Facebook.

In footage posted online by the Ukrainian military, firefighters could be seen treading through the rubble of what used to be a shopping centre and a warehouse.

Thick, black smoke filled the centre of the historic port. But because of the curfew the streets were empty when the missiles struck at 22:30.

The authorities say one person died and five more were taken to hospital.

The attacks happened late on Monday, the same day the president of the European Council had been in the city.

Charles Michel said he had seen silos full of grain, wheat and corn in Odesa that was ready for export - but blocked.

The threat to global food security was something highlighted by President Zelensky in his nightly address.

He said that without Ukraine's exports dozens of countries... were "already on the brink of food shortages" and that the situation could "become, frankly, frightening".

Ukraine - a major maize and wheat producer - and its allies have intensified efforts on how to unblock ports or provide alternate routes for exporting grain, wheat and corn.

Odessa is located in the 33,300 square kilometre Odessa Oblast. The city and the entire region is home to a diverse multi-ethnic population, with Russians being the second largest ethnic group. More importantly, Odessa is a central hub in maritime transportation, with approximately 65% of Ukraine's imports and exports passing through Odessa.

Russian naval forces continue to blockade the Ukrainian coast in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, preventing Ukrainian resupply by sea. According to the UK MoD, reported mines within the Black Sea pose a significant risk to maritime activity. The origin of the mines is disputed, but their presence is attributed to Russian naval activity in the area.