KATAPULT Ukraine abonnieren! Operational Command “South” said the Russian army, using strategic aviation, launched a missile strike on an industrial plant that produces fertilizer. The military published images of the destruction on their Facebook page. A large crater was formed at the site of the explosion. Its diameter is 12 meters and its depth is 3 meters. Industrial equipment was destroyed.  "There is no threat to the life and health of the civilian population in the nearest settlements," the military reported. This message significantly calmed Odesa residents. After learning about the strike at the Port Plant, the townspeople began to tape up their windows, fearing ammonia vapors would penetrate into their homes. At the scene of the explosion, there was a fire, the smoke from which Odesa residents initially mistook for toxic emissions.  "When the air alarm went off, my husband and I went down into the cellar. Then we remembered that he had forgotten to take his asthma medicine. I decided to go up to the house to get it (my husband can't walk well), because I didn’t know how long I would have to sit in the shelter! And it hit! Smoke started billowing. It was very scary, I ran back into the shelter, began to plug the cracks in the door with rags", - told KATAPULT Ukraine Victoria Vladimirovna. She is from Odesa and lives near the plant with her husband. Odesa Port Plant is one of the largest producers of mineral fertilizers in Europe. The main purpose of the plant is to produce ammonia, urea, and other chemical products. Also in 2021, the plant produced medical oxygen, which was supplied to hospitals for patients suffering from COVID-19.  As of early April 2022, the plant was placed on standby and its operations were shuttered due to the threat of attack.