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Air defence systems in Odesa region repelling a Russian air attack and residents have been urged to stay in shelters.
Russia has launched air attacks on Ukraine’s port city of Odesa for a second night in a row, Ukrainian officials said, while reports also emerged of explosions in the Russian-annexed Crimean port city of Sevastopol.
Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper said on social media early on Wednesday that air defence systems were engaged in repelling a Russian air attack and urged residents of the region to stay in shelters.
The attacks on Odesa, one of Ukraine’s main ports for exporting grain, followed a pledge of retaliation by Russia after a blast on a bridge linking Russia to the Crimean Peninsula on Monday, which Moscow blamed on Ukraine.
Shortly after the bridge was hit on Monday, Moscow withdrew from an agreement allowing the export of grain from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, a move the United Nations said risked creating hunger around the world.
Serhiy Bratchuk, a spokesperson for the Odesa military administration, said in a voice message on his Telegram channel early on Wednesday that Russia’s attacks were designed to frighten the world and those who want to see the export of vital grain supplies from Ukraine continue.
“(They’re) are trying to scare the whole world, especially those who want to work for the grain corridor … Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations,” Bratchuk said.
“But I think that all normal, rational people will look and say: Odesa was not afraid, is not afraid and will not be afraid – we will work,” he said.
Online news in Ukraine also said early on Wednesday morning that residents of Sevastopol reported hearing explosions in the port city where Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is based. Online footage also purported to show missiles being launched from Sevastopol.
There were no further details and no independent confirmation of events in Sevastopol.
Ukraine’s Air Force also warned of a probable Russian cruise missile launched from the Black Sea overnight as all of the eastern part of Ukraine was under air raid alerts, which started soon after midnight on Wednesday.
Pro-Kremlin military bloggers said the attacks on Odesa were “massive” and Moscow was using a combination of missiles and drones on the city and other regions.
Reuters could not independently verify the reports.
On Tuesday, Russia’s defence ministry said it had hit military targets in two Ukrainian port cities overnight as “a mass revenge strike” in response to the attack on the Crimean Bridge.
Sumber: www.aljazeera.com
