Russia carried out strikes on Odessa, in southern Ukraine, during a visit by Volodymyr Zelensky and the Greek prime minister. The bombings left five people dead, according to the Ukrainian navy. Further east, an official collaborating with Russian authorities and responsible for elections was killed in the explosion of her car in Berdyansk, in Ukrainian territory occupied by Moscow, local occupation authorities announced. Franceinfo takes stock of what to remember from this day.
Russian strikes on Odessa during a visit by Volodymyr Zelensky and the Greek Prime Minister
On Wednesday March 6, the Russian army carried out strikes on Odessa, in southern Ukraine, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis were traveling.
“At the very end [de la visite], we heard the sound of air raid sirens and explosions very close to us. We didn’t have time to take shelter.”declared Kyriakos Mitsotakis after the bombings, referring to “an impressive experience”.
Russians “don’t care where they hit”, lamented Volodymyr Zelensky for his part. The attack left five people dead, according to the Ukrainian navy. “There are also injured people”its spokesperson, Dmytro Pletenchuk, told AFP.
Russian occupation official responsible for elections killed in Ukraine explosion
An official working with Russian authorities and responsible for elections was killed in the explosion of her car in Berdyansk, in Ukrainian territory occupied by Moscow, local occupation authorities announced.
According to investigators, “an improvised explosive device was placed under the vehicle” of this member of the local electoral commission. “When the woman got into the car (…) the device exploded”they added in a press release.
The local leader of the Russian occupation in this region, Evgeni Balitsky, denounced on Telegram “a terrorist act” And “an attempt at intimidation” one week before the Russian presidential election on March 15-17, which will also be held in the occupied territories.
In Russia, a journalist sentenced to seven years in prison for criticizing the assault in Ukraine
A Russian journalist and blogger, Roman Ivanov, was sentenced to seven years in prison for publishing messages criticizing the Russian assault on Ukraine on social networks, announced his employer, the media outlet RusNews. The court in Koroliov, a small town 6 km northeast of Moscow, found Roman Ivanov, 51, guilty of “spreading false information” on the Russian army, RusNews said on Telegram.
One of the publications concerned in particular the events in the Ukrainian town of Boucha where bodies of killed civilians were discovered in April 2022, kyiv accusing the Russian army of these massacres, which Moscow has always denied.
Kremlin ‘does not recognize’ ICC arrest warrants for two Russian commanders
The Kremlin claimed “not to recognize” arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for two senior Russian officers who are accused of war crimes linked to bombings in Ukraine. “We are not a party to the statute” of Rome, the founding treaty of the ICC, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov told journalists. “We do not recognize” arrest warrants from this jurisdiction, he added.
The two high-ranking officers targeted by the court are Sergei Kobylach, the commander of the long-range aviation of the aerospace forces, and Viktor Sokolov, that of the Black Sea Fleet.
Georgia’s president urges Washington to unblock its military aid program to Ukraine
Georgian President Salomé Zourabishvili urged the United States to unblock its arms deliveries to Ukraine, at a time when Europe is working to strengthen Ukrainian military capabilities.
Ukrainian authorities insist they desperately need more military and financial aid, while the new $60 billion aid package remains blocked by Republicans in the US Congress.
Speaking to the press in Tbilisi, Ms. Zourabichvili said that “Politically, Russia is defeated, but militarily we see the problem of arms deliveries [à l’Ukraine]“. “I hope that the United States will come to its senses and unblock this aid program blocked in Washington”she added. “But we are wasting time”.
Russian oil depot on fire after Ukrainian drone attack
An oil depot in Russia’s Kursk region, bordering Ukraine, was in flames following a Ukrainian drone attack, a type of operation that has become increasingly common after two years of war.
“A Ukrainian drone attack in the Zheleznogorskiy district today caused a fire at a fuel and lubricants depot”declared on Telegram the governor of the Russian region of Kursk, Roman Starovoit. “A fuel tank is on fire, there are no victims”he added.
A few minutes later, Roman Starovoit affirmed that a “second Ukrainian drone” has “touch” the oil depot, ensuring that there again, the attack had not “no casualties” and “air defense is working”.
Ukraine says it shot down 38 of 42 drones in Russian night attack
The Ukrainian Air Force claimed to have destroyed 38 drones out of 42 launched by Russia during a night attack on around ten regions of Ukraine, also targeted by five missiles. “Thirty-eight ‘Shahed’ were destroyed”by air defense, clarified the air force, referring to the Iranian-made explosive drones used by Moscow.
A strike notably hit the town of Sumy (North-East) where seven people were injured, including a 10-year-old boy, according to the prosecutor general’s office.