KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian drones pummeled the Ukrainian Black Sea port metropolis of Odesa, injuring three individuals and sparking huge fires, officers mentioned Friday, an assault that underlined Moscow’s intention to pursue aerial strikes even because it agreed to quickly halt strikes on power services.
The pinnacle of the Odesa area, Oleh Kiper, mentioned town suffered “local emergency power outages” in three of its districts, a sign that the power infrastructure of town may have been broken.
Reacting to the assault, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned that “joint pressure on Russia, strengthening sanctions and defense support for our state … is the way to stop such terror and Russia’s prolongation of the war.”
“We expect real pressure on Russia from the US, Europe and all our partners,” Zelenskyy mentioned in a press release on Telegram “And this is what will allow diplomacy to work.”
Russia, in the meantime, accused Ukraine of blowing up a gasoline facility within the Kursk area, the place Ukrainian forces have launched an incursion, in violation of the ceasefire deal. Ukraine denies the accusations.
Russian drone assault sparks huge blazes in Odesa
The strike got here shortly earlier than Czech Republic President Petr Pavel visited Odesa early Friday morning and held conferences with town’s leaders and officers from different southern areas.
“This is another reminder to the whole world: the war continues and Ukraine continues to fight,” Kiper mentioned in a press release.
He reported blazes at not less than three places after the assault late Thursday. “Civilian infrastructure, commercial facilities are on fire, cars damaged,” Kiper mentioned.
Over 70 individuals and 20 hearth engines have been concerned in extinguishing what the emergency companies known as “massive fires.”
Russia accuses Ukraine of blowing up pure gasoline facility within the Kursk area
Russia’s Protection Ministry accused Ukrainian forces of blowing up a gasoline metering station close to the city of Sudzha in Russia’s Kursk area, in what it described as a “deliberate provocation by the Kyiv regime, which is part of a series of recent strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure in order to discredit the U.S. president’s peaceful initiatives.”
Ukraine’s navy Normal Workers rejected Moscow’s accusations and blamed the Russian navy for shelling the Sudzha gasoline metering station as a part of Russia’s “discrediting campaign.”
The gasoline metering station serves a serious pipeline that had pumped Russia’s pure gasoline to Europe till provides have been halted final yr.
Views differ on what is roofed by the truce
Ukraine and Russia agreed in precept Wednesday to a restricted ceasefire after U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with the international locations’ leaders this week, although it remained to be seen what doable targets can be off limits to assault.
The three sides appeared to carry starkly totally different views about what the deal lined. Whereas the White Home mentioned “energy and infrastructure” can be lined, the Kremlin declared that the settlement referred extra narrowly to “energy infrastructure.” Zelenskyy mentioned he would additionally like railways and ports to be protected.
Zelenskyy informed reporters after Wednesday’s name with Trump that “technical” talks in Saudi Arabia this weekend would search to resolve what forms of infrastructure can be shielded from assault below the settlement.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasised Friday that the settlement reached between Trump and Putin referred solely to power services, including that the Russian navy is fulfilling Putin’s order to halt such assaults for 30 days.
“The Russian military are currently refraining from strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in accordance with the agreement reached between Russia and the United States,” Peskov mentioned in a convention name with reporters.
Different assaults reported by either side
In one other assault, Russian glide bombs injured not less than six individuals, together with a toddler, within the Zaporizhzhia area in a single day Thursday to Friday. Regional head Ivan Fedorov revealed photographs displaying hearth fighters extinguishing flames at a number of broken residential buildings.
The Ukrainian air pressure reported that Russia fired 214 exploding drones and decoys within the newest wave of assaults. It mentioned 114 of them have been intercepted and one other 81 have been jammed.
Russia’s Protection Ministry mentioned air defenses shot down 43 Ukrainian drones, 34 of them over the Volgograd area and others over Rostov, Kursk and Belgorod areas. The authorities didn’t report any casualties or important harm.
In the meantime, an enormous blaze at an oil depot within the Krasnodar area has continued to rage because it was hit by a Ukrainian drone assault late Wednesday.
