Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Aug 04, 2025

Missiles slam into strategic port of Odesa in Ukraine

Missiles slam into strategic port of Odesa in Ukraine

As the war on Ukraine rages, Russia, who launched the assault on Feb. 24, claimed that it had attacked Odesa, on major port hub, and targeted infrastructure.
Missile slammed into the Ukrainian city of Odesa Sunday morning. The Russian Defense Ministry said that its forces destroyed an oil refinery and three fuel storages with high-precision sea and air missiles in the Odesa region, Interfax news agency reports.

It said that the facilities were being used by Ukraine to supply its troops near the city of Mykolaiv. Ukrainian officials said that there are no known casualties from the early morning strike.

All eyes have turned to the southern port city, where explosions were heard on Sunday morning.

Odesa has been preparing for an imminent attack for weeks now, with Russian warships circling off the Black Sea coast.

Residents left, and cafes and trams emptied as streets were covered in tank traps and famous monuments surrounded by protective sandbags.

But the city had since begun to cautiously reopen, despite the air raid sirens, neighborhood patrols and fears of a Russian attack, the BBC’s Andrew Harding reported last week.

The confidence was believed to partly be the result of Russia’s stalled advance along the Black Sea coast.

But how prepared is Odesa, given Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy’s warning that Russian forces would now focus on capturing the east and south?

Some analysts believe it will be hard for Russia to take Odesa by sea without first establishing a base on land.

But meanwhile, the city’s vast catacombs — some 2,500km of underground tunnels — are being repurpsoed as air raid shelters.

In a post on his Telegram channel, Ukrainian military official Vladislav Nazarov said that so far there are no known casualties following the attack.

Nazarov added that critical infrastructure facilities were damaged but didn’t give any more details on the target.

On Saturday, Ukraine’s chief negotiator said negotiations had advanced far enough to make a meeting between presidents Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin a possibility.

Russia’s chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky is now suggesting that this is not the case. “The draft agreement is not ready for submission to a meeting at the top,” Medinsky posted on his Telegram channel.

In the Ukrainian army’s daily operational update, its military officials gave details of Russian attacks in the eastern Donbas region.

“On the territory of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, the defenders of Ukraine repulsed six enemy attacks, destroyed four tanks, six units of armored vehicles and seven units of enemy vehicles,” military officials said in a Facebook post.

The UK’s Ministry of Defense too published its morning update on the conflict.

According to its military intelligence, the UK has observed a concentration of Russian air activity on Ukraine’s south-east — which it suggests is part of a strategic refocusing by Moscow on the region.

While Russian forces may still be capable of an amphibious landing on Ukrainian territory, the UK believes this would be an increasingly risky operation given the time Ukrainian forces have now had to prepare.

Russia has shifted most of the focus of its war to eastern Ukraine — specifically the two big regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, which run from outside Mariupol in the south all the way to the northern border.

This push into the area known as Donbas could signal a more prolonged conflict, said the US.

“The key is that it has been identified by the Kremlin as a Russian-speaking part of Ukraine that is more Russia than Ukraine,” said Sam Cranny-Evans of the Royal United Services Institute.

These areas may be broadly Russian-speaking, but they are no longer pro-Russian.

“Mariupol was one of the most pro-Russian cities in Ukraine and to level it is beyond my comprehension,” says defense specialist Konrad Muzyka, head of Rochan Consulting.

Russian forces have already triggered a humanitarian catastrophe in the east, reducing Mariupol to ruins, but they have failed to inflict defeat on Ukraine’s military.

Russia’s next aim will be to push south to encircle Slovyansk, a city of 125,000 people that already experienced war at close hand when it was seized by Russian-backed forces in 2014 before being recaptured.

“What is the goal of the Russian troops? They want to capture Donbas and the south of Ukraine,” President Zelenskyy said in his nightly address on Saturday.

He said that Ukrainian forces too were shifting their attention eastward: “We are aware that the enemy has reserves to increase pressure in the east.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Pilots Call for Mental Health Support Without Stigma
All Five Trapped Miners Found Dead After El Teniente Mine Collapse
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
Declassified Annex Links Soros‑Affiliated Officials and Clinton Campaign to ‘Russiagate’ Narrative
UK's Online Safety Law: A Front for Censorship
Nationwide Protests Erupt in Brazil Demanding Presidential Resignation
Parents Abandon Child at Barcelona Airport Over Passport Issue
Mystery Surrounds Death of Brazilian Woman with iPhones Glued to Her Body
Bus Driver Discovers Toddler Hidden in Suitcase in New Zealand
Switzerland Celebrates 734 Years of Independence Amid Global Changes
U.S. Opens Official Investigation into Former Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith
Leaked audio of Canada's new PM Mark Carney admitting the truth about the Net Zero agenda: "We're gonna make a lot of money off of this."
China Enforces Comprehensive Ban on Cryptocurrency Activities
Absolutely 100% Realistic EVO Series Doll by EXDOLL (Chinese Company) used mainly for carnal purposes
World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab: "In this new world, we must accept... total transparency. You have to get used to it. You have to behave accordingly. But if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be afraid."
Meet Mufti Hamid Patel, head of Office for Standards in Education in Pakistan
George Soros tells the World Economic Forum: "President Trump is a con man and the ultimate narcissist, who wants the world to revolve around him."
Hamas are STARVING the hostages.
Decline in Tourism in Majorca Amidst Ongoing Anti-Tourism Protests
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
Poland Begins Excavation at Dziemiany After New Clue to World War II‑Era Nazi Treasure
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Threatens Canada with Tariffs Over Palestinian State Recognition
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Trump Sues Murdoch in “Heavyweight Bout”: Lawsuit Over Alleged Epstein Letter Sets Stage for Courtroom Showdown
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
×