Deadly Russian drone attack on civilians in Odessa amid Ukraine counteroffensive

By Euronews en español con EFE • last update: 10/06/2023 – 16:43

Russia attacks civilians in Odessa with drones, leaving three dead and more than twenty injured, in the midst of a Ukrainian counteroffensive that Zelenski has already confirmed.

Deadly Russian drone attack in Ukraine leaves three dead in Odessa. More than twenty people have been injured.

“Suddenly, plaster and rubble fell on me. I didn’t understand anything. I opened my eyes: smoke!” says Yevgenia Bulygina, an 85-year-old survivor of the attack on Odessa.

The attack takes place in the middle of the counteroffensive that Ukraine focuses on Zaporizhia and Donetsk. The Ukrainian General Staff has indicated that on Friday there were “intense fighting” in the east with more than thirty clashes.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has warned of the pressure suffered by the dam of the refrigeration pond of the Zaporizhia nuclear plant, after the explosion of the New Kakhovka dam.

According to IAEA inspectors present at the site, the water level in the reservoir drops at a rate of about five centimeters per hour and reached 11.62 meters at 4:00 p.m. GMT, compared to nearly 17 meters before the blast. of the dam last Tuesday.

Plant operators estimate they will be able to pump water from the reservoir to a depth of 11 meters and possibly even below.

According to IAEA director general Rafael Grossi, it is not yet clear at what water level the reservoir will stabilize.

Of course, the pond next to the plant and the discharge channel of the nearby Zaporizhia thermal power plant are full and can provide enough water for several months, the IAEA said in its statement.

“Although there is no threat in the short term, the dam disaster is causing significant new difficulties for the plant,” Grossi warned.

The Ukrainian leader affirmed that he would not give information about “the state” of this military operation, to questions asked during a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who arrived in Kiev this Saturday on an unannounced visit. previously.

Russian President Vladimir Putin assured yesterday that the counter-offensive had already begun, to then add that the Ukrainian attacks of the past few days on the front had “failed”.

Since kyiv had not confirmed until then a start of such operations.

In his press conference with Zelenski, Trudeu announced a new military aid package for Ukraine, as well as his country’s participation in the training of Ukrainian pilots in handling F-16 fighter jets.

This new aid package will be worth 500 million dollars, reports the Ukrinform portal, and will include 299 AIM-7 air defense missiles, according to the Ukranian portal, which refers these details to a Canadian government statement from Ottawa, coinciding with the visit .

The North American country is also participating in the organization of a logistics and maintenance center in Poland for Leopard tanks supplied by Western allies to Ukraine.

The Canadian delegation’s visit comes as Zelensky is reinforcing efforts to alleviate the effects of the flooding caused by the blowing up of the Kakhovka dam and while intense fighting is taking place on the front lines.

Source