Russia has continuously escalated airstrikes on the Odesa region in southern Ukraine, causing widespread power outages and severe damage to key ports, which remain one of Ukraine’s few vital economic lifelines.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that these repeated attacks represent Russia's efforts to block Ukraine's access to maritime transport routes. Previously, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to cut off Ukraine’s sea access in retaliation for Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil tankers in the so-called "shadow fleet," which Russia uses to evade sanctions in the Black Sea.
Monday’s missile strikes damaged port infrastructure and civilian vessels. On Sunday night, over 120,000 people lost power and a major port fire destroyed numerous containers filled with flour and vegetable oil. Last week, at least eight people were killed and more than 30 injured in an attack on Pivdennyi port, including a tragic incident where a missile killed a woman traveling with her three children.
Odesa is Ukraine’s third-largest city and crucial for exporting wheat and corn globally, especially after Russia captured ports in the Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Mykolaiv regions. Since August 2023, Odesa has been the starting point for a grain export corridor along the Romanian and Bulgarian coasts to Turkey.
Despite recent U.S.-led diplomatic talks in Miami, Russian foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov said the peace plan amendments proposed by Ukraine and Europe "do not improve the prospects for peace."
Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov blamed European countries for trying to obstruct a Russia-U.S. agreement, emphasizing that Russia has no intention to attack the European Union or NATO and is willing to sign a written declaration to confirm this.
/BBC