As the Ukrainian counter-offensive “is progressing”, according to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a meeting yesterday in the Oval Office with US President Joe Biden, Moscow has intensified its efforts in recent weeks. nocturnal attacks on cities across the country.
This Wednesday, June 14, four missiles were launched from a ship in the Black Sea, on the city of Odessa. Three people died and 13 were injured in the attack, which destroyed 1,000 square meters of warehouses and set fire to 400 square meters.
Three killed in Russian strike on Odessa
Three people were killed in a missile attack launched by Russian forces on the port of Odessa on Wednesday, according to Serhiï Bratchouk, spokesman for the military administration of Odessa. Thirteen other people were also reportedly injured. The three Ukrainians who died are employees of a commercial warehouse located in the port of southern Ukraine.
The toll is not yet settled, because “there could be people under the rubble”, according to the spokesman of the military administration of Odessa, who also indicates that the Russian forces would have used Russian cruise missiles Kalibr type. Four of these missiles were launched from a ship in the Black Sea, while Ukrainian forces reportedly shot down two. Odessa has been bombarded several times since the start of the invasion. On June 10, three people were killed in the vicinity of the city during a fire caused by the fall of debris from drones, destroyed by the Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense.
The United States will release 325 million dollars for Ukraine
Washington announced on Tuesday an additional military aid of 325 million dollars to Ukraine. Most of this sum should be used to strengthen the country’s air defense. The delivery of artillery ammunition, anti-tank weapons and armored vehicles is also planned. The White House had already announced on Friday a military aid envelope of around 2 billion dollars, mainly concerning anti-aircraft defense equipment, in the form of various orders to the defense industry.
This new aid package comes at a time when kyiv has launched an offensive against Russian forces in the east and south of the country in order to liberate the territories occupied by Russia. The United States has been the leading donor country to Ukraine since the start of the conflict, with the promise or the delivery of 39.7 billion dollars of various armaments to the forces of kyiv.
Washington worried about rapprochement between South Africa and Russia
This Tuesday, the White House expressed concern about a potential rapprochement between South Africa and Russia. “We share Congress’ concerns about a potential security partnership between South Africa and Russia,” said Judd Devermont, who is responsible for sub-Saharan Africa in Joe Biden’s administration. The same goes for the American ambassador in Pretoria, Reuben Brigety, who recently accused the South African government of delivering arms to Russia.
According to the same source, a Russian freighter docked in December near Cape Town before returning to Russia loaded with weapons and ammunition. Another official in charge of Africa at the State Department, Molly Phee, for her part said she expected South Africa to respect its long-standing policy of non-aligned country. To sanction the country, American parliamentarians have called for South Africa to no longer be able to benefit from commercial advantages within the framework of an American law on development in Africa (Agoa). South Africa, close to the Kremlin since the era of the struggle against apartheid, still refuses to this day to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, claiming to want to remain neutral.