A Russian attack during Tuesday night and the early hours of Wednesday against the city of Odesa in southern Ukraine killed three people and wounded three others, regional authorities reported. “The enemy has attacked the city again,” said Sergiy Lysak, head of the Odesa military administration, via Telegram, adding that the strike hit residential buildings.
Lysak stated that “for the moment, it is known that three people died as a result of the enemy attack,” and added that three other victims were hospitalized.
Additionally, another nighttime attack with cluster munitions struck a residential area on the outskirts of Sumy in northern Ukraine, causing several injuries and damage to private homes, authorities said — according to Oleg Hrygorov, head of the regional administration, and Serhiy Kryvosheyenko, head of the city’s military administration. Authorities warned that unexploded ordnance could remain in the streets near the impact site.
Subsequently, the head of Sumy’s Department of Motor Vehicles reported that seven people were injured in these incidents. Among those affected was an 11-year-old child who suffered an acute stress reaction and received medical care on site. A 30-year-old man and a 59-year-old woman remain in serious condition. Two of the injured are hospitalized, while two others are receiving outpatient treatment.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense reported on Wednesday that the military carried out strikes against the southern ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk in the Odesa region, as well as in the Dnipro-Buh area. According to a statement posted on the social network MAX, the attacked docks were “used to supply the Ukrainian armed forces.”
According to official information, Russian forces struck fuel storage tanks, drone production and assembly workshops, and four Ukrainian military supply vessels. The Russian military frequently bombs Ukrainian port infrastructure, especially in the Odesa region.
Russian air defenses shot down 36 Ukrainian drones that were heading to Moscow over the course of the day. The capital’s mayor, Sergey Sobyanin, wrote on social media that emergency services specialists are working at the sites where the wreckage of the destroyed devices fell.
In recent weeks, Kyiv has intensified attacks against Moscow and its surroundings, and the previous day authorities reported the downing of more than 350 enemy drones.
From Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin promised victory in Ukraine during his first electoral event ahead of the September legislative elections, in which the ruling United Russia party will seek to maintain its parliamentary majority. “Our strength lies in that we always overcome all difficulties and all fears. And that makes us stronger. And it is precisely for that reason that, of course, we always move forward and will continue to do so,” Putin said at the “Everything for Victory” forum, organized by the People’s Front platform.
The president said that Russian troops are advancing on the front and that the national economy continues to develop despite Western-imposed restrictions. According to Putin, citizens have donated approximately 70 billion rubles (about USD 913 million) to the army through the People’s Front. “And for that reason, without a doubt, victory awaits us,” he said.
The remarks were made in the presence of military personnel and their families, one day after Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) approved the electoral lists of eleven parties for the September 20 vote. The CEC must now verify the documentation of all candidates seeking a seat, so the total number of approved candidates has yet to be determined.
Amid discontent over the war, economic decline, internet restrictions, and the fuel crisis, polls place United Russia’s support at historically low levels. September’s elections will be the first legislative vote since the start of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
(With information from AFP and EFE)