As the night sky over Moscow was lit by fireworks to mark Victory Day on Monday, Russian forces fired seven missiles at the Black Sea port city of Odesa.
One struck a shopping mall, Ukraine’s southern military command said, another a consumer goods warehouse. Several appear to have failed to reach any target. By Tuesday morning, the fires were mostly extinguished and rescue workers were searching through the wreckage.
At least one person was killed, according to the city government, and several more were wounded. A curfew was in effect when the missiles struck late Monday, so there were few people in or around the area.
The strike came only hours after one of the European Union’s top officials — the European Council president, Charles Michel — made an unannounced visit to the city and was forced to take cover in a bomb shelter because of another attack.
Gennadiy Trukhanov, Odesa’s mayor, toured the damage on Tuesday morning and said the area destroyed “had nothing to do with military infrastructure.”
The Ukrainian military command for the southern region said the missiles fired had included older, less precise models from the Soviet era.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mr. Michel met with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal of Ukraine and toured Odesa’s struggling port, where Russia is enforcing a naval blockade.
«I saw silos full of grain, wheat and corn ready for export, «Mr. Michel said in a statement. “This badly needed food is stranded because of the Russian war and blockade of Black Sea ports, causing dramatic consequences for vulnerable countries. We need a global response»