Russia attacked the Ukrainian port city of Izmail for the fourth time in five days, Ukrainian officials said Thursday, in what has become an ongoing campaign to target Ukraine’s ability to export grain.
The Danube River port area was attacked with Shahed drones targeting public infrastructure and the port, Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper said. A truck driver was injured and a grain silo was damaged, he said.
Ukrainian war crimes prosecutors examined debris at the scene near port infrastructure on Thursday, according to a statement from the Ukrainian Prosecutor’s Office.
Ukraine’s military said it shot down 25 of 33 drones launched by Russia overnight, mostly in Odesa region, Ukraine’s agricultural export hub, as well as northern Sumy region, the military said.
Russia has stepped up its attacks on Ukraine’s grain export infrastructure since mid-July, when it pulled out of a UN-backed deal that allowed safe shipments of Ukrainian grain during the war.
In Russia, five drones were shot down from over three regions overnight, including one attempt to attack Moscow, officials said. There were no reports of casualties.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is visiting Ukraine. AP
The attack in Izmail came a day after a Russian missile hit a busy market in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka, killing 17 and injuring at least 32.
The attack overshadowed a two-day visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, aimed at assessing Ukraine’s 3-month counter-offensive and signaling continued US support for the struggle.
While visiting northern Ukraine on Thursday, Blinken said the death and destruction in Kostiantynivka is “what Ukrainians live with every day.”
Blinken visited a school in the village of Yahidne where hundreds of residents were imprisoned when Russian troops occupied the village at the start of a full-scale invasion.
Blinken says Russian atrocities continue. “Just yesterday, we saw the bombing of a market, 17 people or more were killed,” he said. “For what?”
The Yahidne school was the headquarters of the Russian army during their occupation of the city. via REUTERS
Earlier, Blinken visited the Kyiv regional facility of the National Border Guard of Ukraine and went to see the demining team working to clear unexploded ordnance from the 45,000-square-meter site that includes a farm.
Blinken announced $90.5 million in mine aid as part of a more than $1 billion US military and humanitarian aid package on Wednesday.
While Ukrainian ports have been attacked, drone attacks on Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2013, and in Russia itself have also become increasingly common in recent months.
In recent weeks, drones have repeatedly targeted Moscow, with some hitting buildings in the city center, while others were shot down on the outskirts of the city.
Russia’s Defense Ministry blamed the overnight attack in Russia on Ukraine, which did not take credit for the attack inside Russia.
One drone targeted Moscow, but was shot down southeast of the city without causing any damage or injuries, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.
Two more drones were shot down in southern Rostov region, which borders Ukraine, regional Governor Vasily Golubev said.
The debris fell in the center of Rostov-on-Don, the capital of the region, damaging several cars and breaking windows in three buildings, Golubev said.
One asked for medical help.
Russia was hit by a drone attack in the city of Rostov-on-Don. Social media/e2w
Russia blamed Ukraine for the bombing. Social media/e2w
Ukraine did not take credit for the strike. Social media/e2w
Two other drones were shot down in Bryansk region, which also borders Ukraine, Governor Alexander Bogomaz reported. Drone debris damaged a train station and several cars, he said.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
