Russian missiles hit Odesa on WWII anniversary

Seven people are dead in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region and Kharkiv in the northeast as Russian missile strikes hit. 

An attack that killed four in Odesa late on Wednesday coincided with the city’s liberation from the Nazis during WW2. 

Two women and a 14-year-old girl were also killed in an attack on a pharmacy not far from Ukraine’s northern border with Russia, officials said. 

Russia’s most recent attacks on Ukraine have targeted the country’s energy sector. 

On Thursday, power infrastructure came under attack in five regions facing more than 40 missiles and 40 drones, the Ukrainian president said. 

Some 200,000 people were left without power in the Kharkiv region alone. 

Zelensky has 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.