Ukraine Latest: Russia Says Odesa Strike Was at Military Target
Ukrainian President Zelenskiy said Kyiv’s troops are “advancing step by step” in their bid to recapture the Kherson region.
(Bloomberg) --
Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has reached the five-month mark. Outrage was swift after Moscow struck Odesa’s seaport on Saturday, less than 24 hours after signing an agreement to guarantee the safe transit of Ukrainian grain exports. In its first response, Russia said the strike had targeted “military infrastructure.”
The US said the cruise-missile strike “casts serious doubt” on Russia’s commitment to the accord it co-signed, a deal that was brokered by Turkey and the UN after two months of talks. UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the “appalling” strike showed the need for “a better way” of getting grain out of Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv’s troops are “advancing step by step” in their bid to recapture the Kherson region. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov starts an African trip by visiting Egypt.
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Key Developments
- Russian Strike on Odesa Tests Day-Old Grain Export Deal
- Russia Cuts Rates Below Pre-War Level in Surprise Jumbo Move
- Ukraine Grain Challenge: Clear Mines, Find Ships and Trust Putin
- US Treasury Gives Blessing for Swaps Auction on Russian Bonds
- Banned in Europe, Kremlin-Backed RT Channel Turns to Africa
On the Ground
As Russia’s invasion hits the five-month mark, Zelenskiy said Kyiv’s forces “are advancing step by step” in their bid to regain the southern region of Kherson. Russian troops carried out assaults in the direction of Bakhmut in Donetsk, with the aim of establishing control over the Vuhlehirska thermal power plant, but were driven back, according to Ukraine’s general staff. The UK said Russia’s efforts there are “making minimal progress.” Fire damage was noted from rocket and barrel artillery attacks in the wider Kharkiv region.
(All times CET)
Strike Was Aimed at ‘Military Infrastructure,’ Moscow Says (9:30 a.m.)
Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said on Telegram that Kalibr cruise missiles had destroyed a Ukrainian “military infrastructure facility” in Odesa.
It was Moscow’s first response to Saturday’s incident, about 24 hours after two missiles fired from the Crimea region struck Odesa’s port. Another two were shot down by Ukraine’s air defenses.
On Saturday, Turkey’s defense minister issued a statement saying Russian officials had denied involvement in the attack and were “investigating the matter.”
Zelenskiy Says Russia Destroyed Its Credibility With Odesa Bombing (7:22 a.m.)
Moscow’s credibility is in shreds after Saturday’s Russian missile attack on Odesa, Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a nightly video address on Saturday.
“If anyone in the world could still say that some kind of dialogue with it, with Russia, some kind of agreements are needed, see what is happening,” Ukraine’s president said. “Russian Kalibr missiles have destroyed the very possibility for such statements.”
“This apparent Russian barbarism brings us even closer to obtaining the very weapons we need for our victory,” Zelensky said. The Odesa Art Museum was also damaged in the strike, he said.
Blinken: Russia’s Odesa Attack Undermined Food Efforts (10:37 p.m.)
Russia’s missile strike on Odesa “casts serious doubt on the credibility of Russia’s commitment” to a deal to allow Ukrainian agricultural exports to resume through the Black Sea, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
The attack undermines efforts by Turkey, the United Nations and Ukraine to get food to world markets, Blinken said in a statement Saturday. “Russia bears responsibility for deepening the global food crisis,” he said.
Russia Tells Turkey It Had ‘Nothing to Do’ With Strike (6 p.m.)
Moscow hasn’t commented publicly on Saturday’s missile strike on Odesa, but told Turkey’s defense minister it had “nothing to do” with the incident.
“In our contact with Russia, the Russians told us that they had absolutely nothing to do with this attack, and that they were examining the issue very closely and in detail,” Turkey’s Hulusi Akar said in a statement.
US Lawmakers Pledge Support, Visit Bucha (5:30 p.m.)
House Armed Services Committee chairman Adam Smith said US support for Ukraine remains assured after leading a bipartisan delegation that met President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv.
The five lawmakers -- Smith, three other Democrats and a Republican -- also visited Bucha and Irpin, where they saw “evidence of the Russian atrocities” from the early days of the war, they said.
“We will continue to seek ways to support President Zelenskiy and the Ukrainian people as effectively as possible,” the group said in a statement.
Abramovich Spotted at Grain Deal Signing (5:30 p.m.)
Roman Abramovich attended the signing Friday of the agreement to restart Ukraine’s grain exports from the Black Sea, according to media reports.
Reuters and Turkey’s Haberler reported that the Russian billionaire was in the audience at Istanbul’s Dolmabahce Palace. Abramovich also visited Turkey in the spring during a meeting of Ukrainian and Russian delegations.
Hungary’s Orban Says Time to Stop Arming Ukraine (12:57 p.m.)
The West should stop arming Ukraine and work for a peace settlement instead, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban said at an annual retreat for supporters in Baile Tusnad, Romania. He said Moscow hadn’t been weakened by sanctions and that the rest of the world isn’t joining in the repudiation of Russia.
Orban directly blamed the arrival of Western long-range artillery shipments for Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s recent remark about annexing more Ukrainian territory, emphasizing the need to understand the Russian position of requiring security guarantees.
US, UN Condemn Russian Strike on Odessa (12:30 p.m.)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “unequivocally condemns” the reported strikes today in the Ukrainian port of Odesa, a spokesman said.
“Yesterday, all parties made clear commitments on the global stage to ensure the safe movement of Ukrainian grain and related products to global markets,” Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for Guterres, said in a statement. “Full implementation by the Russian federation, Ukraine and Turkey is imperative.”
Bridget Brink, the US ambassador to Ukraine, said Russian “must be held to account.”
Russian Missiles Strike Odesa Sea Port (11:10 a.m.)
Russia attacked the Odesa sea port on Saturday, less than 24 hours after signing an agreement aimed at restarting Ukrainian grain exports from Odesa and two other Black Sea locations.
Two Kalibr missiles hit the port’s infrastructure and two were shot down by Ukraine’s air defenses, Serhiy Bratchuk, adviser to the head of the Odesa regional military administration, said on Telegram.
Zelenskiy Says 20M Tonnes of Grain From Last Year Can be Shipped (7 a.m.)
About 20 million tonnes of grain from last year’s Ukrainian harvest can be exported under the new Black Sea protocol, in addition to new-crop supplies now being harvested, said President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
“We now have approximately $10 billion worth of grain,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly speech to the nation Friday night.
Separately, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Zelenskiy said there could be no cease fire with Russia that allowed Moscow to hold the territories seized since February. “They will not use this pause to change their geopolitics or to renounce their claims on the former Soviet republics,” he said.
US Opens Door to Getting Fighter Jets to Ukraine (8:40 p.m.)
In what would be a major shift for the US and its allies, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the Pentagon is looking into the feasibility of providing fighter jets to Ukraine, though the effort is in the very early stages.
The effort is focused on providing US aircraft, not ex-Soviet jets, which means Ukrainian pilots would need to be trained on the fighters as well as how to maintain them, Kirby said, adding “So this is not something that’s going to happen anytime soon.”
Kirby spoke as the White House announced an additional $270 million in arms for Ukraine, a package that includes as many as 580 additional Air Force Phoenix Ghost anti-armor/reconnaissance drones. Ukrainian officials said they’re employing monitoring mechanisms to track and account for the delivery of Western weapons.
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