Illustrative purposes only: Port of Odesa on June 23, 2024 in Odesa, Ukraine. (Nikoletta Stoyanova/Getty Images)
Editor's note: This is a developing story.
Russian forces attacked Odesa on Sept. 20, injuring four people, Governor Oleh Kiper reported.
According to the preliminary data, Russia launched Iskander-M ballistic missiles, damaging port and civilian infrastructure, as well as a civilian ship under the Antiguan flag.
An air raid alert sounded in Odesa Oblast at around 2 p.m. local time, and the first explosions were heard in the city a few minutes later.
Odesa Oblast and other southern regions of Ukraine are regular targets of Russian missile and drone attacks.
Russian troops attacked Odesa Oblast with a ballistic missile on July 4, killing one civilian, injuring seven others, and hitting port infrastructure.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
The top European diplomat described Russia’s three-step negotiation tactic: demanding what it never had, followed by ultimatums and threats, finished off by the West ready to concede to Moscow’s demands.
"If something happens — a drone, a provocation, or suspicious troop movements — we can do it," Lithuanian Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovic said.
"As of today, we can state that the Russian offensive operation on Sumy has been completely thwarted by our forces," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept. 12, citing front-line reports from Commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.
"The United States stands by our NATO allies in the face of these alarming airspace violations," said acting U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dorothy Shea, addressing the 15-member Security Council.
The sanctions list includes Russian President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, top military officials, lawmakers, oligarchs, propagandists, mercenaries, and individuals responsible for the abduction of Ukrainian children from occupied territories.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said Poland sees no reason to sever diplomatic ties with Russia, noting that it has already limited the activities of Russian diplomats in several regions.
"Every time you are here, General, we can sleep a little more. We would like you to travel to all Ukrainian cities," Zelensky said at the annual Yalta European Strategy meeting.
"(Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s bombardment of Ukrainian civilians, his stalling and delaying in internationally-backed peace talks, and his blatant disregard for human life must end," U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said.
The Kyiv Independent has been awarded the Online Journalism Award for Innovation in Revenue Strategy for building a sustainable business model during wartime.
Francis Farrell
