
Russian strikes on Odesa kill one, wound at least 13
Emergency services published images of firefighters helping a woman in pyjamas climb from the window of a housing block in flames.
Both Moscow and Kyiv have stepped up their drone and missile attacks after three years of war and peace talks initiated by the United States appear closer to collapse.
Ukrainian police said one person was killed and 13 were wounded in Odesa, including three rescue workers who were hurt at the scene of the attack.
'Residential buildings, higher education institutions, civilian infrastructure and transport were damaged by the strike,' said Oleg Kiper, the governor of the Black Sea region.
The Ukrainian air force said Russia had launched 86 drones in the barrage and that 70 had been downed by air defense systems.
The Russian defense ministry, meanwhile, said its forces had eliminated at least 61 Ukrainian drones.
Odesa, one of Ukraine's largest port cities and a UNESCO heritage site, has been under persistent Russian attacks since Moscow invaded its neighbor early in 2022.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Arab News
44 minutes ago
- Arab News
Trump orders nuclear submarines moved after Russian ‘provocative statements'
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Friday said he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in 'the appropriate regions' in response to statements from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. 'Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev ... I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that,' Trump said in a social media post. He added: 'Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances.' He did not specify what he meant by 'nuclear submarines.' Submarines may be nuclear-powered, or armed with nuclear missiles. It is extremely rare for the US military to discuss the deployment and location of US submarines given their sensitive mission in nuclear deterrence. The US Navy declined comment. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump and Medvedev, who is deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, have traded taunts in recent days after Trump on Tuesday said Russia had '10 days from today' to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine or be hit with tariffs, along with its oil buyers. Medvedev on Thursday said Trump should remember that Moscow possessed Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities of last resort, after Trump told Medvedev to 'watch his words.' Moscow, which has set out its own terms for peace in Ukraine, has given no indication that it will comply with Trump's deadline of August 8. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Moscow hoped for more peace talks with Ukraine but that the momentum of the war was in its favor. He made no reference to the deadline. Trump, who in the past touted good relations with Putin, has expressed mounting frustration with the Russian leader, accusing him of 'bullshit' and describing Russia's latest attacks on Ukraine as disgusting. Medvedev has emerged as one of the Kremlin's most outspoken anti-Western hawks since Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in 2022. Kremlin critics deride him as an irresponsible loose cannon, though some Western diplomats say his statements illustrate the thinking in senior Kremlin policy-making circles. Trump also rebuked Medvedev in July, accusing him of throwing around the 'N (nuclear) word' after the Russian official criticized US strikes on Iran and said 'a number of countries' were ready to supply Iran with nuclear warheads. 'I guess that's why Putin's 'THE BOSS',' Trump said at the time. The US president took office in January having promised to end the Ukraine war on Day One, but has not been able to get Moscow to agree to a ceasefire. Only six countries operate nuclear-powered submarines: the US, the UK, Russia, China, France and India. The US Navy has 71 commissioned submarines including 53 fast attack submarines, 14 ballistic-missile submarines, and four guided-missile submarines. All of them are nuclear-powered, but only some carry nuclear weapon-tipped missiles.


Asharq Al-Awsat
2 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
UK's Starmer, Ukraine's Zelenskiy Welcome Trump's Deadline for Russia
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed on Friday US President Donald Trump's new deadline for Russia to make progress towards ending its more than three-year-long war. "Both leaders welcomed the President's new deadline on Russia to stop their stalling tactics and make meaningful progress on a peace deal," a Downing Street spokeswoman said on Friday, following a call between the two. "It was clear Russia was the only barrier to peace, the leaders agreed.


Al Arabiya
9 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Russian advance in Ukraine accelerates for fourth straight month: Reports
Russia's military advance in Ukraine accelerated for a fourth straight month in July, its greatest since November, according to AFP's analysis of data from the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW). In one month, the Russian army took 713 square kilometers (275 square miles) of Ukrainian territory, while Kyiv reclaimed 79 square kilometers. This has resulted in a net gain of 634 square kilometers for Russia compared with 588 square kilometers in June, 507 square kilometers in May, 379 square kilometers in April, and 240 square kilometers in March. These figures include territories fully or partially controlled by Russia and those claimed by it. Moscow's advance had slowed during the winter. Except for the early months of the war in 2022, which began when Russia invaded Ukraine in February, only November (725 square kilometers) of last year saw larger Russian advances than those of July. Nearly three-quarters of Russian advances in July were in the eastern Donetsk region, the main area of Russia–Ukraine clashes for the past two years. Moscow fully or partially controlled 78 percent of the Donetsk region at the end of July, compared to 62 percent a year ago. About 31 percent of this region was already under the control of pro-Russian separatists before the start of the Russian offensive. It is in this region that the former military stronghold of Chasiv Yar is located, which Moscow said Thursday it had captured — a claim immediately denied by Kyiv. The town, located near Bakhmut, which Russia captured in May 2023, had been a strategically important military hub for Ukrainian forces in the east. It overlooks two cities, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, important logistical bases for the Ukrainian military and home to many civilians who have not fled the fighting. The Russian army has also made progress over the past year in other regions, covering nearly 170 square kilometers. In the northeastern Kharkiv region, the Russian army has taken nearly 120 square kilometers, crossing for the first time since October 2022 the threshold of five percent of territory controlled or claimed in this area. The southern Zaporizhzhia region also saw an advance of 42 square kilometers during the month. Russian forces have also claimed advances in the Dnipropetrovsk region, in central-eastern Ukraine. They recently announced the capture of two villages there, accounting for territorial gains of 22 square kilometers since the launch of this offensive on June 8, according to AFP's analysis, which accounts for claimed areas. Kyiv denies any Russian presence in the area. The only region where the Russian army has retreated is in northeastern Sumy. Moscow conceded some 11 square kilometers there in July after taking over 130 square kilometers in June. More broadly, the last 12 months have shown significant Russian army progress in Ukraine. From August 2024 to July 2025, the Russian army captured nearly 5,900 square kilometers, compared with 1,360 square kilometers in the previous 12 months. However, these Russian advances account for less than one percent of pre-war Ukraine's territory, including Crimea and Donbas. At the end of July, Russia exercised full or partial control over nearly 19 percent of Ukrainian territory.