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NBCJul 04, 2023
Russia Launches 'Retaliatory' Missile Strikes After Bridge Attack
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Image copyright: State Emergency Service of Ukraine [via Wikimedia Commons]
The Facts
Russia launched a wave of missiles at the Ukrainian port city of Odesa in the early hours (local time) of Tuesday — attacks Russia's defense ministry labeled as "retaliatory" following Ukrainian strikes on the Kerch Bridge in Crimea the previous day.
A Russian defense ministry spokesman said: "Last night, the Russian Armed Forces delivered a multiple retaliatory strike by seaborne high-precision weapons against the sites where terrorist attacks were being plotted against the Russian Federation with the use of drone boats and against the place of their production at a ship repair plant in the area of the port of Odessa [sic]."
The Spin
Pro-Russia narrative
These strikes on Odesa were in direct retaliation to Kyiv's terror attack on the Kerch Bridge and they struck port infrastructure from which the Ukrainian navy launched the attack. Russia will always respond to such provocations from Ukraine.
Pro-Ukraine narrative
Russia's attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure continued with these latest strikes. Fortunately, Ukraine's air defenses successfully shot down every cruise missile. Nonetheless, a church and a hotel were damaged by falling missile debris.
