President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address on July 21 that Ukraine would respond to Russia's deadly attacks against Donetsk, Chernihiv, and Odesa oblasts.
On July 21, Russian shelling killed two children in Donetsk Oblast, while a Russian missile hit a community center in Chernihiv Oblast, killing two women. Russian missiles and drones also hit Odesa and southern Ukrainian regions, Zelensky said.
"Only absolute evil can inflict such attacks. We will respond," Zelensky said.
"In addition, there will be even more consolidation of the world for defense and for joint action, even more energy for victory, even more desire for justice, and just punishment of Russia for all the crimes of this war. And there will be punishment," he said.
Zelensky also said that more than 20 people, including two children, were wounded by Russian attacks on Odesa Oblast over the past week.
Russia launched four consecutive strikes against Odesa Oblast over the course of the past four days: In the early hours of July 21, a Russian missile strike targeted grain warehouses at an agricultural company in Odesa Oblast, injuring two people.
The three previous attacks targeted mainly the city of Odesa. According to Ukrainian officials, Russia is targeting port infrastructure and grain supplies, previously destroying around 60,000 tonnes of grain.
The strikes come shortly after Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative on July 17, sparking fears of food insecurity worldwide. The deal, brokered in July 2022 by Turkey and the U.N., allowed Ukraine to export its agricultural products even amid the full-scale invasion.
On July 20, Russian forces attacked 10 Ukrainian oblasts, killing at least seven people and injuring at least nine.
Donetsk, Kharkiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, and Sumy oblasts all came under attack.
Anastasiia Lapatina
(Updated: )
