Kyiv, May 1: A Ukrainian drone attack left at least seven people dead and a Russian strike on Odesa killed two people on Thursday, officials said, just hours after Kyiv and Washington signed a long-anticipated agreement granting US access to Ukraine’s mineral resources — a move that could enable continued military aid to Ukraine.
The attack in the partially occupied Kherson region of southern Ukraine, which struck a market in the town of Oleshky, killed seven and wounded more than 20 people, Moscow-appointed Gov Vladimir Saldo said.
“At the time of the attack, there were many people in the market,” Saldo wrote on Telegram. After the first wave of strikes, he said, Ukraine sent further drones to “finish off” any survivors.
Meanwhile, a Russian drone strike on the Black Sea port city of Odesa early Thursday killed two people and injured 15 others, Ukrainian emergency services said.
Regional Gov Oleh Kiper said the barrage struck apartment buildings, private homes, a supermarket and a school.
Videos shared by Kiper on Telegram showed a high-rise building with a severely damaged facade, a shattered storefront and firefighters battling flames.
A drone struck and ignited a fire at a petrol station in the centre of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov.
The Ukrainian air force reported that Russia sent 170 exploding drones and decoys into five Ukrainian regions in the latest wave of attacks overnight into Thursday. It said 74 of them were intercepted and another 68 were lost. Russia also launched five ballistic missiles.
Following the attacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia had ignored a US proposal for a full and unconditional ceasefire for more than 50 days.
“There were also our proposals — at the very least, to refrain from striking civilian infrastructure and to establish lasting silence in the sky, at sea, and on land,” he said. “Russia has responded to all this with new shelling and new assaults.”
Russia’s Defence Ministry said Thursday that air defences shot down eight Ukrainian drones overnight. (AP)
