Thus far, the official word is that "infrastructure" has been hit in Odesa, but the videos I've seen indicate it's residential buildings that have been hit.
The #missile strike on #Odesa is noteworthy mainly because, as best I can recall, it has not been the target of such attacks since early April. Also, the attack comes a day after #Russia made statements hinting it may expand its military operations in the direction of Odesa.
Informative thread by @ChristopherJM on today's #missile attacks on #Odesa. Apparently 2 missiles struck, 2 others were shot down. Russia likely to pick up pace of missile attacks over the current Orthodox Easter weekend.
One or more fuel depots in #Bryansk, #Russia are on #fire after residents in the area reported hearing explosions. Bryansk is in the area of Russia near both the Belarus & Ukrainian borders (about 100 km from both). Will post more as furter info comes in.
1. "Russian forces continued to pressure Ukrainian defenders in the Azovstal facility in Mariupol." 2/
Key Takeaways (contd.):
2. "Ukrainian sources report that Russian troops are preparing to conduct renewed assaults on Azovstal that would likely prove costly - possibly to meet a Kremlin-imposed deadline to clear Mariupol - but ISW cannot independently confirm these reports." 3/
U.S. secretary of defense #Austin and secretary of state #Blinken are now in #Kyiv meeting with Ukrainian president #Zelensky, said Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych in an interview on Ukrainian TV apnews.com/article/russia…
Some people apparently are questioning whether U.S. cabinet members #Blinken and #Austin have actually met with Ukrainian president #Zelensky in #Kyiv today. Here is a relevant update:
One of the first full reports of what was discussed and decided when U.S. secretary of defense Austin and secretary of state Blinken met Sunday with Ukrainian president Zelensky. Lots to unpack ... stay tuned. 3/ apnews.com/article/russia…
The New York Times yesterday published a long article about former German chancellor Gerhard #Schroeder, whose continuing close ties to Russia and Vladimir Putin have essentially destroyed his reputation in the West. 1/ nytimes.com/2022/04/23/wor…
Schroeder was interviewed for the lengthy Times article. One statement he made during the interview captures a key reason he's become a pariah: "I don’t do mea culpa," he told the Times. "It’s not my thing." 2/
Two things from the Times Schroeder article I didn't know.
1. Schroeder has two adopted children that originally are from Russia. 3/
It hasn't been discussed that much, but #Kharkiv in eastern #Ukraine has suffered enormous damage the past several weeks due to Russian shelling and missiles. Here are some links and thoughts related to what has been going on there. 1/
A quick thread with some perspective on the damage #Kharkiv has suffered has been put together by @Tomthescribe: 2/
The Wall Street Journal recently published a lengthy article by @yarotrof that described the devastation #Kharkiv has suffered and how residents there are coping with the destruction. The article includes numerous photos. wsj.com/articles/in-ob…
1. "Russian forces continued their pressure on the Azovstal facility in Mariupol." 2. "Russian troops drawn from the retreat from Kyiv are re-entering combat in eastern Ukraine." 2/
Key Takeaways (contd.):
3. "Russian forces from around Mariupol are redeploying to the vicinity of Donetsk City and are likely to enter combat again soon and without rest or refit." 3/