Russia to Turkey: We had 'nothing to do' with strike on Odesa port

Two Russian missiles hit the port of Odesa on Saturday but caused no significant damage.

 Firefighters work at a scene after a shelling, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues in a location given as Odesa, Ukraine in this picture obtained from social media released on July 19, 2022. (photo credit: STATE EMERGENCY SERVICES/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
Firefighters work at a scene after a shelling, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues in a location given as Odesa, Ukraine in this picture obtained from social media released on July 19, 2022.
(photo credit: STATE EMERGENCY SERVICES/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)

Turkey's defense minister said on Saturday that Russian officials had told Ankara that Moscow had "nothing to do" with strikes on Ukraine's Odesa port.

"In our contact with Russia, the Russians told us that they had absolutely nothing to do with this attack and that they were examining the issue very closely and in detail," Defence Minister Hulusai Akar said in a statement.

"The fact that such an incident took place right after the agreement we made yesterday really worried us," he added.

Two Russian missiles hit the port of Odesa on Saturday but caused no significant damage, the public broadcaster, Suspilne, said, quoting the Ukrainian military.

A pumping station was hit and a strike caused a small fire that damaged houses around the port, the spokesperson for Ukraine's southern military command, Natalia Humeniuk, was quoted as saying.

The grain storage area was not hit, she added. No casualties have been reported.