Russian strikes hit Odesa on city's liberation day
By Paulin Kola
Russian missile strikes have left seven people dead in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region and Kharkiv in the north-east.
A girl aged 10 was among four killed in Odesa late on Wednesday, in an attack coinciding with the city’s liberation from the Nazis during World War Two.
Two women and a girl of 14 were also killed in an attack on a pharmacy not far from Ukraine’s northern border with Russia, officials said.
Russia’s recent attacks have targeted Ukraine’s energy sector in particular.
Power infrastructure came under attack in five regions early on Thursday from more than 40 missiles and 40 drones, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Some 200,000 people were left without power in the Kharkiv region alone, said officials, and Mr Zelensky appealed for increased international support.
“We need air defence and other defence assistance, not turning a blind eye and lengthy discussions,” he said.
A multi-billion dollar aid package for Kyiv continues to be blocked by Republicans in the US Congress.
