Russia says it hit Ukrainian steel plants, power infrastructure and ships

Russia said on Saturday it had carried out a large-scale overnight attack on Ukrainian and infrastructure targets including the country’s largest steelworks in the city of Kryvyi Rih, and vessels using the Ukrainian port of Odesa. The plant is owned by steel giant ArcelorMittal, which suspended operations there in September after a series of Russian ballistic missile strikes. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement, Russia’s defence ministry said the plant supplied steel products to the Ukrainian military-industrial complex. It said Russian forces had also hit an electricity substation in the northwestern city of Zhytomyr and another steel plant in Zaporizhzhia, a city near the front line. A cargo vessel in the Black Sea was also hit, the ministry said, alleging that it was delivering military cargo to Odesa. Later in the day, the ministry said Russian strikes during the afternoon had hit a vehicle-repair plant in Lutsk, an electricity substation in the western Ternopil region and another cargo vessel south of Odesa that it said was carrying military and dual-use cargo. Reuters could not independently confirm the ministry’s reports.