Russian drones attacked port and grain storage facilities in the south of Ukraine’s coastal Odesa region in the early hours of Wednesday, including the inland port of Izmail across the Danube River from Romania. And Kyiv’s military administration said the city’s air defences downed more than 10 Russian drones during an overnight attack. Follow our liveblog for all the latest developments on the war in Ukraine. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
1:20pm: Russia begins Baltic Sea naval drills
Moscow is holding naval exercises in the Baltic Sea amid rising tensions with its European neighbours over the conflict in Ukraine.
“The Ocean Shield-2023 naval exercises have begun in the Baltic Sea,” the defence ministry said in a statement. It added that 30 warships and boats as well as 20 support vessels would participate alongside some 6,000 military personnel.
The Russian navy has played a key role in Moscow’s assault on Ukraine by pummelling the Western-backed country with ship- and submarine-launched cruise missiles, among other weapons.
11:15am: Romanian president slams Russian attacks on Ukraine’s Danube port
Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis called Russia’s repeated attacks on Ukraine’s Danube infrastructure near Romania “unacceptable”, after Moscow struck the southern region of Odesa including vital ports used to export grain.
“Russia’s continued attacks against the Ukrainian civilian infrastructure on Danube, in the proximity of Romania, are unacceptable,” Iohannis posted on social media. “These are war crimes and they further affect [Ukraine’s] capacity to transfer their food products towards those in need in the world.”
8:09am: Kyiv air defences down Russian drones
More than 10 Russian drones were downed in Kyiv during an overnight attack, the city’s military administration said early on Wednesday.
“Groups of drones entered Kyiv simultaneously from several directions. However, all air targets – more than 10 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) – were detected and destroyed in time by the forces and means of air defence,” said Sergiy Popko, head of the administration.
He said Russia had used a barrage of Iranian-made Shahed drones, with debris hitting several areas.
7:03am: Russian drone strikes hit Ukrainian port facilities
A Russian drone strike damaged port infrastructure in the Odesa region, Ukrainian authorities said, adding that there were no reports of casualties.
“As a result of the attack, fires broke out at the facilities of the port and industrial infrastructure of the region, and an elevator was damaged,” regional governor Oleg Kiper said
Ukraine’s defence ministry said a grain silo was damaged in the Danube port of Izmail in the Odesa region: “Ukrainian
grain has the potential to feed millions of people worldwide, “the ministry wrote on messaging platform X, formerly known as
Twitter.
Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukrainian agricultural and port infrastructure after refusing to extend the Black Sea grain deal that had allowed for exports of Ukrainian grain.
Key developments from Tuesday, August 1:
Poland vowed to increase the number of troops at its border with Belarus after two Belarusian helicopters caused a “violation of Polish airspace”. Minsk has denied the claim. According to the Polish defence ministry, NATO has been informed of the incident. The Belarusian defence ministry denied on its Telegram channel that its military helicopters had violated the Polish border.
A Ukrainian drone downed by Russia has struck a Moscow office tower that was also hit over the weekend, as multiple other drones were downed, Russian officials said.
Meanwhile, Iceland suspended work at its embassy in Russia, the first European country to do so, as commercial, cultural and political relations had slumped to an “all-time low”.
Read yesterday’s liveblog to see how the day’s events unfolded.
(C) France M?dias Monde graphic studio
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
