Russia pounds Odessa region

MISSILES: AIR STRIKES ‘WORST-CASE SCENARIO’

Glimmer of hope in conflict as Indonesian president plays mediation role.

At least 17 people were killed and dozens wounded yesterday in missile strikes on Ukraine’s Odessa region, a day after Russian troops abandoned positions on a strategic island in a major setback to the Kremlin’s invasion.

The news came after Nato leaders wrapped up a summit in Madrid, with US President Joe Biden announcing $800 million (about R13 billion) in new weapons for Ukraine.

“We are going to stick with Ukraine and all of the alliance are going to stick with Ukraine, as long as it takes to make sure they are not defeated by Russia,” Biden said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov compared surging diplomatic tensions to the Cold War, telling reporters: “As far as an Iron Curtain is concerned, essentially it is already descending... The process has begun.”

There was a glimmer of hope however, when Indonesian President Joko Widodo said he had given Russian President Vladimir Putin a message from his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky. It came after Widodo visited both Moscow and Kyiv. Neither side revealed what was in the note.

Early yesterday missiles were fired at an apartment building and recreation centre about 80km south of the Black Sea port of Odessa, which has become a strategic flashpoint.

The nine-storey apartment building was partially destroyed, leaving 14 people dead and 30 wounded, the emergency services said. Three people, including a child, were killed and one wounded in the attack, they said.

The strikes, in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, were launched by aircraft that flew in from the Black Sea, said Odessa military administration spokesperson Sergiy Bratchuk.

“The worst-case scenario played out and two strategic aircraft came to the Odessa region,” he said in a TV interview, adding they had fired “very heavy and very powerful” missiles.

Earlier this week, there was global outrage when a Russian strike destroyed a shopping centre in Kremenchuk, central Ukraine, killing at least 18 civilians. Putin has denied Moscow’s forces were responsible.

Yesterday’s attacks came a day after Russian troops abandoned their positions on Snake Island, off the coast of Odessa.