According to Ukrainian officials, at least three people were killed, and a Chinese consular building was damaged in a third night of air strikes on southern Ukrainian port cities.
Regional governor Oleh Kiper posted a photo of a damaged window at the Chinese consulate in the Black Sea city of Odesa, but no additional damage was noticed.
In #Odesa, the building of the Chinese Consulate General was damaged as a result of a night attack by Russians, said the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration Oleh Kiper. pic.twitter.com/IS8Z7xUM0W
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) July 20, 2023
Chinese Consulate Damaged
According to Ukraine’s military, Russian forces launched 19 missiles and 19 drones overnight, with five missiles and 13 drones being shot down.
“As a result of the Russian night attack, the building of the consulate general of the People’s Republic of China in Odesa was damaged,” Kiper stated on Telegram.
“The aggressor deliberately hits the port infrastructure — administrative and residential buildings nearby, as well as the consulate of the People’s Republic of China, were damaged. This suggests that the enemy does not pay attention to anything.”
According to Kiper, a security guard was killed in Odesa, and at least eight others, including a child, suffered injuries.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson commented on the attack, saying that the explosion shook the surface of the wall and the window panes, and reportedly, consular employees had already left the premises. The spokesperson confirmed that no one was injured.
“China is closely following the developments and staying in touch with the parties concerned. We will take all measures necessary to keep Chinese institutions and nationals safe in Ukraine,” the spokesperson added.
Russian Air Strike on Mykolaiv, Odesa
A Russian air strike on the Ukrainian port city of Mykolaiv injured at least 18 people, according to regional governor Vitaliy Kim, while officials in the Odesa region reported two injured in a third night of air raids. Kim said five children were among the 18 persons injured, without revealing their condition or if they were in the residential building.
According to Mykolaiv mayor Oleksandr Senkevych, a married couple was killed. Firefighters in Mykolaiv tackled a massive blaze that wrecked a three-storey residential building without its top floor and damaged nearby buildings. “There is a huge hole in the ground near a three-story residential building,” Senkevych wrote on Telegram.
An elderly couple's bodies were retrieved from the rubble in Mykolaiv. For the second day in a row, the russians have deliberately used Kh-22 missiles, indiscriminate weapons of immense power, in both Odesa and Mykolaiv. As a result, missiles hit civilian objects. The russian MoD… pic.twitter.com/pTtyXNB61q
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) July 20, 2023
According to Odesa government spokesperson Serhiy Bratchuk, two persons were hospitalised after a Russian airstrike on Odesa city damaged a building and caused a fire. Another attack was reported outside the city, he added.
Ukraine’s air force warned on Telegram that Russia had launched supersonic missiles in the direction of the Odesa region on Thursday morning. It urged civilians to remain undercover.
After the port cities of Odesa and Mykolaiv were hit by strikes for the third day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed condolences to the victims.
Russia Warns Ships on Black Sea
Moscow said it had carried out “retaliatory strikes” days after quitting a deal permitting Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea and accusing Ukraine of being behind blasts on the Crimean bridge used to transport Russian military supplies. On Thursday, it stated its retaliatory attacks would continue and that it had struck all of its targets in Odesa and Mykolaiv.
Following the termination of the Black Sea grain deal, Russia’s Defence Ministry stated that it would view all ships travelling to Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea as prospective carriers of military cargoes beginning from midnight on Thursday morning.
According to a statement posted on Telegram, the ministry declared the southeastern and northwestern parts of the Black Sea’s international waters unsafe for navigation and that the flag states of ships travelling to Ukrainian ports would be considered parties to the conflict on the Ukrainian side.
The attacks came after Russia refused to extend a UN-sponsored deal that had allowed shipments of Ukrainian grain abroad, and warned that it would consider cargo ships on the Black Sea destined for Ukraine as potential military targets.https://t.co/wxEPq5Dsjg
— Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (@RFERL) July 20, 2023
Zelensky Condemns Russia’s Actions
Zelensky wrote on Twitter, “About a million tonnes of food is stored in the ports that were attacked today. This is the volume that should have been delivered to consumer countries in Africa and Asia long ago.” “Everyone is affected by this Russian terror. Everyone in the world should be interested in bringing [Russia] to justice for its terror,” he added.
In his regular late-night video address on Wednesday, Zelensky stated that 60,000 tonnes of agricultural products damaged in a Russian air attack on Odesa port were intended for shipment to China.
“Russian terrorists continue their attempts to destroy the life of our country,” Zelensky said on Telegram. “Together we will make it through this terrible time. And we will withstand the attacks of Russian evil.”
Use of Cluster Munitions
According to White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby, cluster munitions supplied by the US are being used in the field as part of Kyiv’s fight against Moscow.
“We have gotten some initial feedback from the Ukrainians, and they’re using them quite effectively,” Kirby said at a press conference. He also stated that cluster munitions affected Russian defensive formations and manoeuvring.
Ukraine has stated that it will only deploy cluster bombs to clear concentrations of Russian enemy forces. As a possible danger to humans, several nations have banned the weapons, which contain dozens of tiny bomblets that rain shrapnel over an area.