Russian strike on Ukraine's Odesa kills two, wounds 14
KYIV -- A Russian drone strike on Ukraine's southern region of Odesa killed two people and wounded 14, including children, local authorities said on Saturday.
Moscow has stepped up drone and missile attacks on Ukraine. Peace talks initiated by the United States to end the three-year conflict have meanwhile stalled. "Rescuers pulled the bodies of two people from the rubble who died as a result of a hostile drone strike on a residential building," Odesa Governor Oleg Kiper said on Telegram.
The night-time strike wounded 14 people, Kiper added, "three of them children." Separately, authorities of Ukraine's southern Kherson region said one person was killed and three others were wounded in Russian strikes over the past day.
"Russian troops targeted critical and social infrastructure and residential areas in the region," the Kherson's governor, Oleksandr Prokudin, said on Telegram early on Saturday.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed in Russia's offensive, which has forced millions from their homes and devastated much of eastern Ukraine.
At peace talks, Russia has demanded Ukraine cede even more land and give up Western military support as a precondition to peace -- terms Kyiv says are unacceptable. (AFP)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
4 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Thousands mourn top Iranian military commanders and scientists killed in Israeli strikes
Thousands of mourners lined the streets of downtown Tehran on Saturday for the funeral of the head of the Revolutionary Guard and other top commanders and nuclear scientists killed during a 12-day war with Israel. The caskets of Guard's chief Gen. Hossein Salami, the head of the Guard's ballistic missile program, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh and others were driven on trucks along the capital's Azadi Street as people in the crowds chanted: 'Death to America' and 'Death to Israel.' Salami and Hajizadeh were both killed on the first day of the war, June 13, as Israel launched a war it said meant to destroy Iran's nuclear program, specifically targeting military commanders, scientists and nuclear facilities. There was no immediate sign of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , in the state broadcast of the funeral. Khamenei, who has not made a public appearance since before the outbreak of the war, has in past funerals held prayers for fallen commanders over their caskets before the open ceremonies, later aired on state television. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was on hand, and state television reported that Gen. Esmail Qaani, who heads the foreign wing of the Revolutionary Guard, the Quds Force, and Gen. Ali Shamkhani were also among the mourners. Shamkhani, an adviser to Khamenei who was wounded in the first round of Israel's attack and hospitalized, was shown in a civilian suit leaning on a cane in an image distributed on state television's Telegram channel. Iran's Revolutionary Guard was created after its 1979 Islamic Revolution. Since it was established, it has evolved from a paramilitary, domestic security force to a transnational force that has come to the aid of Tehran's allies in the Middle East, from Syria and Lebanon to Iraq. It operates in parallel to the country's existing armed forces and controls Iran's arsenal of ballistic missiles, which it has used to attack Israel twice during the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Over 12 days before a ceasefire was declared on Tuesday, Israel claimed it killed around 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists, while hitting eight nuclear-related facilities and more than 720 military infrastructure sites. More than 1,000 people were killed, including at least 417 civilians, according to the Washington-based Human Rights Activists group. Iran fired more than 550 ballistic missiles at Israel, most of which were intercepted, but those that got through caused damage in many areas and killed 28 people. Saturday's ceremonies were the first public funerals for top commanders since the ceasefire, and Iranian state television reported that they were for 60 people in total, including four women and four children. Authorities closed government offices to allow public servants to attend the ceremonies. Iran has always insisted its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes. But Israel views it as an existential threat and said its military campaign was necessary to prevent Iran from building an atomic weapon. Khamenei's last public appearance was June 11, two days before hostilities with Israel broke out, when he met with Iranian parliamentarians. On Thursday, however, he released a pre-recorded video, in his first message since the end of the war, filled with warnings and threats directed toward the United States and Israel, the Islamic Republic's longtime adversaries. The 86-year-old downplayed US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites as having not achieved 'anything significant' and claimed victory over Israel. The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency, Rafael Grossi, has characterized the damage done by American bunker-buster bombs to Iran's Fordo nuclear site, which was built into a mountain, as 'very, very, very considerable.' (AP)
Korea Herald
4 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Russian strike on Ukraine's Odesa kills two, wounds 14
KYIV -- A Russian drone strike on Ukraine's southern region of Odesa killed two people and wounded 14, including children, local authorities said on Saturday. Moscow has stepped up drone and missile attacks on Ukraine. Peace talks initiated by the United States to end the three-year conflict have meanwhile stalled. "Rescuers pulled the bodies of two people from the rubble who died as a result of a hostile drone strike on a residential building," Odesa Governor Oleg Kiper said on Telegram. The night-time strike wounded 14 people, Kiper added, "three of them children." Separately, authorities of Ukraine's southern Kherson region said one person was killed and three others were wounded in Russian strikes over the past day. "Russian troops targeted critical and social infrastructure and residential areas in the region," the Kherson's governor, Oleksandr Prokudin, said on Telegram early on Saturday. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in Russia's offensive, which has forced millions from their homes and devastated much of eastern Ukraine. At peace talks, Russia has demanded Ukraine cede even more land and give up Western military support as a precondition to peace -- terms Kyiv says are unacceptable. (AFP)
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Korea Herald
N. Korea targets Russian tourists for new beach resort: Seoul
No sign of restarting Chinese group tours to N. Korea since 2020, says Unification Ministry North Korea is expected to court Russian tourists following the official completion of its Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist zone, which is set to open first to domestic travelers in July, South Korea's Unification Ministry said Thursday. The ministry also noted that construction — which had been suspended for an extended period — resumed last year, possibly with material support from Russia and the expectation of attracting Russian tourists. North Korean state media reported Thursday on the completion ceremony of the Wonsan-Kalma beach resort, held Tuesday and attended by leader Kim Jong-un, his wife Ri Sol-ju, their daughter, widely believed to be Kim Ju-ae, and his sister Kim Yo-jong. Ri made her first public appearance since attending a New Year's Day music concert in 2024. The resort is set to open to domestic visitors on July 1, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said. KCNA reported, 'The tourist zone equipped with hotels and inns capable of accommodating around 20,000 people, allowing domestic and international visitors to choose accommodations that suit their preferences' in a Korean language report. Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexandr Matsegora and his embassy members were invited as special guests, according to the state media report. 'Operations are expected to gradually expand to include Russian tourists, beginning with domestic tourism on July 1,' a Unification Ministry official said on condition of anonymity during a closed-door briefing. 'The fact that the Russian ambassador was invited and highlighted (in the state media report) also appears to have been intended with Russian tourists in mind.' The official further explained, 'North Korea has regarded tourism as very important while recognizing it as a key means of earning foreign currency.' 'Tourism itself is not a violation of sanctions. However, tourism operations that involve bulk cash transfers or are conducted in the form of cooperative projects or joint ventures with North Korea could constitute a violation of sanctions,' the official said. 'On the other hand, individual tourists paying their own expenses on a cost-reimbursement basis would not be considered a sanctions violation.' UN Security Council Resolution 2270 prohibits the transfer of bulk cash to North Korea, and Resolution 2375 bans all UN member states from creating any new joint ventures with North Korean entities or individuals. North Korea's decision to resume yearslong construction of the Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist zone in 2024 could be related to a closer alignment with Russia during the country's grinding war against Ukraine. 'Since North Korea's involvement in the Ukraine war, it is believed that the country has received various forms of material support from Russia — support that may have contributed economically to the completion of the Wonsan-Kalma tourist zone,' the unnamed official said. 'Additionally, there is a possibility that North Korea will actively seek to attract Russian tourists, which could explain the renewed push to promote the project.' North Korea initially designated the area along the coast connecting Wonsan and Mount Kumgang a tourist zone in 2014. KCNA previously reported that the groundbreaking ceremony for the Wonsan region took place in May 2015, on Kalma Street in Wonsan city. North Korea originally set a goal of completing the tourist zone by April 15, 2019, to mark the birth anniversary of the country's late founder, Kim Il-sung. However, the project was repeatedly delayed due to difficulties in securing construction materials under international sanctions. Construction had been halted following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and remained suspended until 2024. The official, however, underscored that Seoul needs to watch how much tourism in the Wonsan-Kalma coastal zone can actually be realized 'due to various limitations in transportation infrastructure.' Based on the number of flights and the size of aircraft operating between Pyongyang and Vladivostok, the maximum number of people who could travel via Pyongyang to the Wonsan-Kalma coastal zone in a single day would be around 170, according to the official. The official also explained there has been no progress in resuming Chinese group tours, which have been suspended since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in January 2020. 'We are also monitoring the potential resumption of large-scale Chinese group tours to North Korea, but no concrete signs have emerged yet.'
