In a video speech late Saturday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the newly constructed runway at the strategic Black Sea port had been demolished, but vowed to rebuild it. “Of course we will do it again. “But Odessa will never forget Russia’s attitude towards it,” he said. Regional officials said the rocket was fired from the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula and said the airport could no longer be used. Maxim Martchenko, governor of the Odessa region, said Russian forces had used a Bastion missile in the attack. “Thank God no one was injured. “Measures are being taken against sabotage in the area,” he said in a video posted on the internet. Gennadiy Trukhanov, the mayor of Odessa, said it took 10 years to design and build the new runway, which officially opened last July. “Thanks to the new runway, we were expecting a colossal influx of tourists from all over the world. “Instead, we were hit by a rocket,” he said on Facebook. “But Odessa is not a city that surrenders to difficulties. We will definitely restore the corridor after our victory and even more tourists will come to us “. No comment was made on the attack by Moscow, whose forces sporadically target Odessa, Ukraine’s third largest city. Eight people were killed in a Russian attack on the city last week, Ukrainian officials said. Russia has turned its attention to southern and eastern Ukraine after failing to seize its capital, Kyiv, in a nine-week offensive that razed cities, killing thousands of civilians and forcing more than five million to flee abroad. Russia’s renewed offensive in the south is partly aimed at linking the region to Crimea, as it pushes for full control of Ukraine’s eastern Donbass region. Parts of the two Donbass provinces, Luhansk and Donetsk, were already controlled by Russian-backed separatists before the February 24 invasion of Moscow. In his speech, Zelensky said Russia was “gathering additional forces for new attacks against our army in the east of the country” and “is trying to increase pressure on Donbas.” Getting a full picture of the unfolding battle in eastern Ukraine has been difficult, as airstrikes and artillery barricades have made the movement of journalists extremely dangerous. But Western military analysts have suggested that the attack there was much slower than planned. So far, Russian troops and separatists appear to have made only small gains in the month since Moscow said it would focus its military power on the east. Numerically, Russia’s military manpower far exceeds that of Ukraine. In the days before the start of the war, Western intelligence estimated that Russia had deployed up to 190,000 troops near the border. Ukraine’s permanent army totals about 200,000, spread across the country. However, in part because of the persistence of the Ukrainian resistance, the United States believes the Russians are “at least several days behind where they wanted to be” as they try to encircle Ukrainian troops in the east, a senior US defense official has said. spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the evaluation. With plenty of firepower still in reserve, Russia’s attack could still intensify and overwhelm the Ukrainians. In total, the Russian army has about 900,000 active-duty personnel. Russia also has a much larger air force and navy. The United States and its European allies have provided Ukraine with billions of dollars in weapons and humanitarian aid. US President Joe Biden is seeking a $ 33 billion aid package for Kyiv, including $ 20 billion in weapons, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Saturday that his country would continue to “provide Ukrainians with the equipment they need.” to defend themselves “. Russia has repeatedly warned the West against continuing military aid to Kyiv, saying arms deliveries “were fueling the flames of war.”
