WESTERN PERSPECTIVE
Zelensky’s convoy narrowly avoids Russian missile
A Russian missile nearly hit a convoy carrying Volodymyr Zelensky to a meeting with the Greek prime minister in Odesa.
The strike landed “very close” to the Ukrainian president’s motorcade in the southern port city, Kyriakos Mitsotakis told reporters.
A Greek official later said it exploded just 300 metres from the Ukrainian president.
“We saw this strike today,” Mr Zelensky told an open-air news conference outside the ruins of the Transfiguration Cathedral, which was partially reduced to rubble in a Russian missile attack last summer.
“You see who we’re dealing with. They don’t care where they strike. I know there were casualties today. I don’t know all the details yet, but I know there were casualties – dead and wounded.”
Neither leader nor any members of their entourages were injured in the attack, which local media reports suggested was carried out with Iskander or Onyx missiles.
The Ukrainian president added: “Please accept my condolences but you see that they don’t care if these are military, civilians or international guests.
“Whoever it is, these people don’t care. They’ve either lost their minds or they’re completely out of control of what their terrorist army is doing. That’s what we’re seeing.”
Mr Mitsotakis said: “When we heard some sirens and shortly afterwards when we were going to our cars we heard a big explosion.
“For us it is the best reminder that there is a real war going on here. Every day. Which does not only affect the front.
“We didn’t have time to go to a protected place, it’s a very impressive experience,” he added.
The sound of air raid sirens followed by the deafening blast were clearly audible from central Odesa on several video clips shared via social media of the impact of the missile.
In one clip, gasps could be heard from a church congregation as the blast interrupted their service.
A photograph showed a plume of smoke blocking out sunlight over the city.
Five people were killed in the Russian attack on port infrastructure, according to a report by Ukrainska Pravda, citing Dmitry Pletenchuk, a Ukrainian naval spokesman.
Sirens sounded across the wider Odesa region at 10.41am local time, with the explosion rocking the city shortly after. Ukraine’s air force declared a ballistic missile warning four minutes later.
It was not clear whether the attack was aimed at Mr Zelensky, who was visiting the port in Odesa at the time.
The Ukrainian president’s aides did not immediately respond to questions over the strike.
Mr Zelensky has been subjected to at least a dozen failed assassination attempts since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, according to Mikhail Podolyak, his senior adviser.
Russia has not shied away from attacking major Ukrainian cities while overseas dignitaries are visiting.
Notably, a barrage of Russian missiles were aimed at Kyiv as a delegation of African leaders arrived in the capital in the hope of brokering peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
Earlier this month, Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, cut her visit to the Ukrainian capital short after she was trailed by a Russian drone.
Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission’s president, condemned the latest strike as “vile”.
“No one is intimidated by this new attempt at terror – certainly not the two leaders on the ground nor the brave people of Ukraine,” she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Odesa is considered symbolic for Athens after waves of Greeks arrived in the city in the eighteenth century. The Society of Friends, a revolutionary movement, which aimed to free Greece from the Ottoman empire, was later founded there.
Mr Mitsotakis, who has pledged to help rebuild the city, described it as a “vital hub of Hellenism on the shores of the Black Sea”.
Russia later claimed it had hit a hangar housing Ukrainian naval drones. The defence ministry said in a statement: “The goal has been achieved. The target has been hit.”
05:19 PM
That’s all for today
Thank you for tuning in to today’s live blog. We’ll be back tomorrow bringing you all the latest from the Russia-Ukraine war.
Key moments from today:
Germany has “no need to apologise” for the release of a video call that accidentally leaked details of British “troops on the ground” in Ukraine, the country’s ambassador to the UK has said.
Ukraine has unveiled a new sea drone capable of striking from a distance of more than 1,100km.
Britain is prepared to loan Ukraine all frozen Russian central bank assets in the UK, Lord Cameron has said.
Russia is prepared to lose aircraft in order to continue its advance, a major think tank reported.
The West is “playing with fire” by discussing the idea of sending troops to Ukraine, Moscow has said.
A Russian Shahed drone attack on Sumy has left seven people injured, including a 10-year-old by, reports suggest.
A Ukrainian drone struck a Russian fuel and lubricants warehouse leaving it in flames.
Ukrainian shot down 38 out of 42 Russian drones launched overnight across eight regions of the country, the air force reported.
02:59 PM
Half of shells given to Russia by Kim Jong un are ‘duds’
Half of the 1.5 million artillery shells supplied to Russia by North Korea are duds, a Ukrainian intelligence chief has said.
The shells sent by Kim Jon-un to sustain Vladimir Putin’s war effort are more than half a century old and often do not work, Vadym Skibitsky, the deputy chief of Kyiv’s intelligence directorate, has said.
“As of today, taking into account the available statistics, Russia has already imported 1.5 million rounds of ammunition from the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea],” he told Ukrainian media. “However, these shells were made in the 70s and 80s. Half of them do not work and the rest need to be either repaired or checked before being used.
“[North Korea] gives away old stuff … ramps up the domestic production and asks for certain technologies in exchange, particularly missile and submarine technologies with the aim of developing its own defence industry. This proves once again that Russia lacks its own production capacity for a rapid and powerful increase in missile production. If it did not, why would it ask North Korea?”
South Korea’s defence minister warned last month that Pyongyang has sent millions of artillery shells to Russia since Kim Jong Un met with Putin at a summit last September.
02:15 PM
No apology needed for leaking British military secrets, says German ambassador
Germany has “no need to apologise” for the release of a video call that accidentally leaked details of British “troops on the ground” in Ukraine, the country’s ambassador to the UK has said.
Miguel Berger said that the leak was “a Russian hybrid attack” that aimed to “destabilise the West”, and that some reactions helped to achieve Russia’s aims.
“We have to be careful not to fall into the Russian trap of creating division and regrettably some media and some people have fallen into this trap,” he told the BBC’s Today programme.
In the leaked video call, the head of the German air force said Britain has “a few people on the ground [operating] in reachback” – a military term that suggests units deployed deep into Ukraine.
Military experts warned that the revelations put British troops at risk, as their role on the ground was previously assumed to be limited.
Former British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has hit out at the leak, saying that the incident demonstrated Germany was “neither secure nor reliable”.
01:49 PM
Pictured: Ukraine unveils sea drones
Ukraine has unveiled a new sea drone capable of striking from a distance of more than 1,100km.
The Sea Baby drone, called “Avdiivka” was presented by Ukraine’s security service at an event in Kyiv.
“This is a drone with new, significantly improved seaworthiness and capabilities, which will definitely be able to deliver a payload of more than a ton,” Ukraine’s military counter-intelligence said.
Kyiv has gained the upper hand in the Black Sea in recent months, successfully deploying sea drones to wipe out Russia’s fleet.
01:29 PM
Britain prepared to loan Ukraine frozen Russian assets, says Cameron
Britain is prepared to loan Ukraine all frozen Russian central bank assets in the UK, Lord Cameron has said.
The British foreign secretary said the assets would be used as surety on the basis that Russia will be forced to pay reparations at the end of the war, the Guardian reported.
Lord Cameron’s comments go further than Europen Union proposals for Ukraine to be given windfall profits from Russian central bank assets held by the West – which are estimated at $4 billion.
“There is an opportunity to use something like a syndicated loan or a bond that effectively uses the frozen Russian assets as a surety to give that money to the Ukrianians knowing that we will recoup it when reparations are paid by Russia,” Lord Cameron told peers.
“That may be a better way of doing it. We are aiming for the maximum amount of G7 and EU unity on this but if we cannot get it I think we will have to move ahead with allies that want to take this action.”
It is the first time the foreign secretary has spoken open;y about details of the proposal, which may prove necessary to implement should US congress continue to delay extending vital aid to Ukraine.
12:55 PM
Russia willing to lose aircraft in order to advance, says think tank
Russia is prepared to lose aircraft in order to continue its advance, a major think tank reported.
Russia is continuing to conduct bombing raids despite having several aircraft shot down in recent weeks, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said.
Late last month, The Ukrainian military reported that Russia had lost a total of 11 jets in two weeks, worth nearly £1 billion.
Russian Su-34 and Su-35 bombers are conducting more than a hundred raids per day in order to bomb Ukrainian positions, media reports suggest.
Meanwhile Russian forces have deployed “more aggressive” air support on the frontlines to aid their advances in eastern Ukraine, the New York Times reported.
“The Russian command may have decided that the positive effects generated by such air operations outweigh the costs associated with flying such missions,” the ISW said.
12:21 PM
Russia warns West is ‘playing with fire’
The West is “playing with fire” by discussing the idea of sending troops to Ukraine, Moscow has said.
Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, said that Moscow is hearing “many contradictory statements” from the West about sending NATO troops to Ukraine and warned “they are all playing with fire.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said last month he could not rule out such a possibility, though other European NATO members and the United States said there were no such plans.
“The very fact of this discussion is dangerous,” said Mr Peskov, adding that a leaked recording of German officers discussing aid to Ukraine could lead to a “further degradation of the situation”, Russian state news agency Tass reported.
11:48 AM
Update: Seven injured in Russian drone strike, including 10-year-old boy
A Russian Shahed drone attack on Sumy has left seven people injured, including a 10-year-old by, reports suggest.
Three drone strikes across the city targeted apartments, a pre-school and 10 vehicles, leaving buildings in rubble.
“Seven people have sought medical assistance, including a 10-year-old boy,” regional officials said.
Elsewhere, a 63-year-old woman died as a result of shelling in Ocheretynsk, Donetsk.
The village came under fire at around 9.30am local time this morning, and the woman died on her way to hospital.
11:36 AM
Moldova to sign security deal with France amid growing Russian threat
Moldova and France will sign a defence cooperation accord on Thursday as part of the West’s efforts to strengthen the former Soviet state’s capabilities amid increasing interference by Russia.
Moldova, a western neighbour of Ukraine, has a tiny defence budget and has long had tense relations with Moscow, which have worsened since Chisinau backed Ukraine in the war against Russia.
The French presidency said in a statement that defence and economic cooperation accords would be signed when President Emmanuel Macron meets his Moldovan counterpart Maia Sandu in Paris.
The agreement comes after Moldova’s intelligence agency warned that Russia will seek to destabilise the country as it prepares for a presidential election and a referendum on EU membership.
“The details point to strategies for 2024 and 2025 that involve supporting pro-Russian political actors with ties to intelligence services, organized crime groups, and Kremlin leadership,” Alexandru Musteata, the head of the Moldovan intelligence agency, said.
11:10 AM
Russia will destroy US jets in Ukraine, says Moscow
Russia will shoot down American plans in Ukraine, the Kremlin reported.
Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, said that Russia will do everything to ensure that American plans that encroach on Russian territory “burn and crash”. This includes Ukraine, Reuters reported.
Mr Peskov added that that Russia is destroying and will continue to destroy American tanks in its special operations, and the same will happen with American aircraft.
10:49 AM
Nato threats ‘won’t go unanswered’, says Moscow
Russia has warned it will respond to threats made against it by Nato.
Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow had never wanted conflict with Nato, the US or Ukraine but that threats made against it “would not go unanswered”.
Her comments come after Emmanuel Macron, the French President, faced criticism from Nato and EU partners after he suggested it might be necessary to send ground troops to Ukraine.
Despite the looming threat of nuclear war should Russia continue its imperial expansion into Nato territory, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, poured cold water on the prospect today.
Mr Peskov described the “routinisation” of the topic of nuclear war in the West extremely dangerous, Tass, the Russian state news agency, reported.
10:14 AM
Ukrainian drones strikes Russian lubricant warehouse
A Ukrainian drone struck a Russian fuel and lubricants warehouse leaving it in flames on Wednesday morning.
The governor of Russia’s Kursk region, which borders Ukraine, said that no one had been injured and that a fuel tank was on fire in the Kursk region, around 56 miles from the Ukrainian frontier.
Russian Telegram channels published video of a large fire and damage to a building at what they said was an ore refinery in the district, which is known for its iron mines.
Ukrainian attacks have repeatedly hit Russian oil refineries and other energy infrastructure in recent weeks, particularly in the Kursk region.
Ukrainian drones were also downed in Russia’s Belgorod and Voronezh regions, according to local authorities.
The drones downed over Voronezh had been trying to attack a military airbase and an oil depot, locals said.
09:33 AM
Kremlin dismisses ICC arrest warrants for officers
The Kremlin has said it does not recognise the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants for two Russian officers over their actions in the Ukraine conflict.
“We are not participants” in the court’s founding treaty, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, told reporters. “We don’t recognise this,” he added, referring to the arrest warrants issued on Tuesday.
09:18 AM
Ukraine in pictures
Here is a roundup of the latest photographs from the frontline Ukraine.
08:51 AM
Power in Crimea cut off
Large areas of Crimea have had its power supply cut off after a series of Ukrainian drone attacks overnight.
Locals reported hearing explosions and sounds of active air defence systems, according to the Odessa-based media outlet Dumskaya.
The Moldavanka district and part of the city centre are without power.
08:26 AM
Putin’s spy chief scolds Macron for extremely dangerous remark on Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign intelligence chief has said French President Emmanuel Macron’s refusal to rule out sending European troops to fight Russian soldiers in Ukraine was extremely dangerous and irresponsible.
Mr Macron said last month that there was no consensus on sending European troops to fight in Ukraine but that nothing should be excluded, though the United States and other European members of the alliance have said there were no plans to do so.
Asked about Mr Macron’s remarks, Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), the main successor to the KGB’s First Directorate foreign spying section, said they were deeply irresponsible.
“This shows the high degree of political irresponsibility of Europe’s leaders today, in this case, the president of France,” Naryshkin told state television in remarks on Tuesday. “These statements are extremely dangerous.”
“It is sad to see this, sad to observe and sad to understand that the ability of current elites in Europe and the North Atlantic to negotiate is at a very low level,” he said. “They more and more rarely demonstrate any common sense at all.”
08:00 AM
Ukrainian air defence downs 38 of 42 Russian drones
Ukrainian air defence shot down 38 out of 42 Russian drones launched overnight to target eight regions across the country, the air force said on Wednesday.
It is one of the largest Russian drone attacks on the Ukrainian regions in the past several weeks.
The air force said the Shahed kamikaze drones were downed over the south, centre, west, and northeast of the country. Air alerts in some regions lasted for more than two hours.
Regional officials in Sumy in the northeast reported several drone hits in different parts of the city but gave no details on the damage or casualties.
In the Kharkiv region a school building was damaged in the attack and a power line was hit in the Dnipropetrovsk region, regional officials said.
Discover more from
RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE
Ukraine plans new counteroffensive – ground forces commander
Ukraine plans to reorganize its troops and launch a new counteroffensive this year, the commander of the country’s ground forces has said.
Speaking to ICTV on Wednesday, Lieutenant General Aleksandr Pavlyuk said that the most pressing goal is to stop the Russian advances and to regroup Ukrainian units so that the battered forces could be pulled back from the front line and replenished. It would then allow to “create a strike group and carry out counter-strike actions.”
“I think we will stabilize the situation shortly,” Pavlyuk said, adding that the command is trying to “do everything possible to prepare the troops for more active actions, and to seize the initiative.”
The Ukrainian army has been losing ground in the Donbass where Russian forces seized the heavily fortified city of Avdeevka last month. The loss occurred amid Kiev’s worsening ammunition shortage and the delays in the deliveries of Western military aid.
Ukraine’s last major counteroffensive ended in a failure, resulting in heavy casualties and the destruction of many of the Western-supplies tanks and other hardware.
The much-anticipated operation began in June 2023 and effectively ground to a halt in the fall of that year, as Ukrainian armored units struggled to cross thick minefields and were ultimately not strong enough to break through Russian fortified positions. More than 166,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed or wounded during last year’s counteroffensive, according to the estimates by the Russian Defense Ministry.
Ukrainian war effort has been further hampered by the months of in-fighting in US Congress, with Republican legislators blocking the $61 billion worth of additional military aid.
The Telegraph/RT
