Russian strike on Ukraine’s Odesa kills two, wounds 14 including children

Moscow steps up drone and missile attacks on Ukraine as peace talks initiated by the United States to end the three-year conflict have stalled.

A Russian drone strike on Ukraine’s southern port city of Odesa has killed two people and wounded 14, including children, local authorities said.

Moscow has stepped up drone and missile attacks on Ukraine and peace talks initiated by the United States to end the three-year conflict have stalled.

“Rescuers pulled the bodies of two people from the rubble who died as a result of a hostile drone strike on a residential building,” Odesa Governor Oleg Kiper said on Telegram.

The night-time strike wounded 14 people, Kiper said, adding that “three of them children.” Separately, authorities in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region said one person was killed and three others were wounded in Russian strikes over the past day.

Firemen extinguishing a fire in a multi-storey residential building following a Russian drones attack in Odesa, amid Russian invasion in Ukraine. A Russian drone strike on Ukraine's southern port city of Odesa killed two people and wounded 14, including children. Picture: Ukrainian State Emergency Service / AFP

“Russian troops targeted critical and social infrastructure and residential areas in the region,” the Kherson’s governor, Oleksandr Prokudin, said on Telegram.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed in Russia’s offensive, which has forced millions from their homes and devastated much of eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine has launched retaliatory strikes on Russia throughout the war. The Russian defence ministry said its air defence had shot down 31 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Moscow also said it had captured another village in the Donetsk region, which the Kremlin has claimed as part of Russia since late 2022.

Russia has demanded Ukraine cede more land and give up Western military support as a precondition to peace - terms Kyiv says are unacceptable.

FOLLOW UPDATES:

PUTIN SAYS HE’S OPEN TO PEACE TALKS

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia and Ukraine’s demands for peace were “absolutely contradictory”, after two rounds of peace talks have failed to bring the sides closer to an elusive ceasefire.

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators swapped memorandums outlining their visions for how to end the three-year conflict at peace talks in Istanbul this month.

But other than large-scale prisoner exchanges, the talks have failed to result in any progress toward ending the fighting, triggered by Russia launching its military offensive in February 2022.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to more ceasefire talks. Picture: AP

“As for the memorandums, as expected, nothing surprising happened … these are two absolutely contradictory memorandums,” Putin said at a press conference in Minsk, Belarus.

“That’s why negotiations are being organised and conducted, in order to find a path to bringing them closer together,” he said.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed in Russia’s offensive, which has forced millions from their homes and devastated much of eastern Ukraine.

At talks, Russia has demanded Ukraine cede even more land and give up Western military support as a precondition to peace – terms Kyiv says are unacceptable.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks at a damaged Russian-made UAV. Picture: AFP

Putin has repeatedly rejected calls for an immediate ceasefire and has escalated his aerial attacks as his army advances across the battlefield, capturing more territory beyond the five Ukrainian regions Russia claims to have annexed.

He said the two sides would “continue further contact” after prisoner exchanges agreed at the June 2 talks had been completed.

The two sides have conducted several swaps since agreeing to each free more than 1,000 captured soldiers – all wounded, ill or under 25.

Russian servicemen holding national flags leave a plane at an airport outside Moscow, as they return from a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Picture: AP

Russia is also ready to hand over the bodies of 3,000 killed Ukrainian soldiers, Putin said.

He also acknowledged some economic pressure from the military campaign, which has seen Russia massively increase its spending on weapons and soldiers.

“6.3 per cent of Russia’s GDP goes on defence needs. That is 13.5 trillion roubles ($172 billion),” Putin said.

“It’s a lot,” Putin said, acknowledging it had the potential to create headaches for the government budget.

“We paid for it with inflation, but now we are fighting this inflation,” he added.

At the press conference following a meeting with allies in Belarus, Putin also denounced the “aggressive” pledge by NATO members to increase their defence spending to five per cent of GDP.

– with AFP

Originally published as Russian strike on Ukraine’s Odesa kills two, wounds 14 including children