Ukraine
Russian forces “do not care” whether the targets are military or civilian, says Zelenskiy; Greek PM describes experience as 'very intense'
AFP in Kyiv
A deadly Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian port city of Odessa appeared to land near President Volodymyr Zelensky and visiting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who called the moment of the bombardment “fierce.”
According to the Ukrainian Navy, five people were killed and an unspecified number were injured in the attack on port infrastructure on Wednesday.
“We heard the sound of sirens and explosions taking place near us,” said Mitsotakis, who held talks with Zelensky. “We didn’t have time to get to a shelter. It is a very intense experience,” Mitsotakis added through an interpreter in Odessa.
Ukraine stepped up its own attacks behind Russian lines after a car bomb and a drone strike on a metal factory appeared to kill a Russian election official on Wednesday.
Russia and Ukraine have stepped up airstrikes as Moscow's troops advance to the front and Kiev faces a shortage of manpower and weapons.
Spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk confirmed that the attack in Odessa came at a time when the Greek delegation with Zelensky was visiting the port.
Britain could lend Russian assets to Ukraine, says David Cameron – video
The Russian armed forces “do not care whether [targets] are military or civilian; Whoever they are, whether they are international guests, these people don’t care,” Zelenskiy said.
The White House spokesman in Washington said: “It looks like this [the rocket] landed near the convoy.”
However, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that the attack took place on a “hangar in a commercial port area of Odessa, where unmanned cutters are being prepared for combat use by the Ukrainian armed forces.”
The attack came just days after 12 people, including five children, were killed when a Russian drone hit an apartment block in the same Black Sea city. This was one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in weeks.
As the White House struggles to end Republican obstruction on new U.S. aid packages for Ukraine, a spokesman for President Joe Biden's National Security Council said the Odessa attack shows the “urgent need” for weapons. “This attack is another reminder of how Russia continues to ruthlessly attack Ukraine every day,” they said.
Deportation and Re-Education: Life in the Russian Occupied Territories of Ukraine
Authorities in the Russian-held city of Berdyansk in southern Ukraine blamed Kiev for a car bombing that reportedly killed a local election official. “A homemade explosive device was placed under the vehicle of a member of the district election commission,” the investigative committee said in a statement.
“The victim died from his injuries,” it said, posting a video of a small beige car that burst and was parked on a dirt road.
The attack came as early voting began in occupied Ukraine for this month's Russian presidential election.
Moscow-appointed head of the Zaporizhzhia region, Yevgeny Balitsky, blamed Ukrainian authorities for the attack, saying they had tried to “intimidate” residents ahead of the vote.
Since Moscow launched its large-scale military operation in Ukraine two years ago, several Russian-appointed officials have been targeted. Russia also said Ukraine had hit a fuel tank at a metal plant in Russia's Kursk region in an early morning drone strike.
{{#Ticker}}
{{top left}}
{{bottom left}}
{{top right}}
{{bottom right}}
{{#goalExceededMarkerPercentage}}{{/goalExceededMarkerPercentage}}{{/ticker}}
{{Headline}}
{{#paragraphs}}
{{.}}
{{/paragraphs}}{{highlightedText}}
{{#choiceCards}}
One-time, monthly, yearly
Other
{{/choiceCards}}We will be in touch to remind you to contribute. Watch for a message in your inbox. If you have any questions about contributing, please contact us.