Russia once again slammed the port city of Odesa with strikes overnight, killing at least one person and wounding 19 others, including children, Ukrainian officials said.
The strikes damaged a historic cathedral and other cultural sites, according to officials. Kyiv has vowed to retaliate, but its military’s air defenses are struggling to fend off the repeated attacks on Odesa.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko joked with Russia’s president Sunday about a Wagner private military group “excursion” into Poland. But the tensions are serious surrounding Wagner’s presence in Belarus, near NATO’s eastern flank.
Near the front lines, Russian shelling killed two people in the northeastern Kharkiv region and pounded areas near Zaporizhzhia in the south, local authorities said.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said there is “no excuse for Russian evil” following a fifth night of Russian strikes on the city of Odesa.
“As always, this evil will lose. And there will definitely be a retaliation to Russian terrorists for Odesa. They will feel this retaliation.”
Zelensky said authorities are providing support for those affected by the attacks and expressed his gratitude for all the first responders and volunteers.