Ukraine seems to have placed anti-missile units around Odessa finally….
Biden is sending another $200 million to the Ukraine…..
The Ukraine Offense continues….
Ukrainian officials said three people were injured in the assault on the southern port city, which came amid heightened tensions in the Black Sea.
Here’s what we’re covering:
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All of the missiles and drones were shot down in Odesa, Ukrainian officials say.
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U.S. is sending $200 million in battlefield supplies to Ukraine.
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The Russian ruble slides past 100 to the dollar, its weakest since just after the start of the war.
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China’s defense minister is expected to visit Russia and Belarus this week.
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Russia is replicating Iranian drones and using them to attack Ukraine…..
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Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.
Russia launched Kalibr cruise missiles and Iranian-made Shahed drones at Odessa overnight, Kiper and the Ukrainian air force said. Ukrainian forces managed to shoot them all down and said the missiles’ intended target was the “center” of Odessa, according to Kiper. But debris fell on a supermarket, a residential building and a school dormitory, and three market employees were injured, he said. The explosions and debris also damaged windows and cars nearby and started fires in three facilities, he said.
China’s defense minister is set to visit Russia and its ally Belarus this week, the Chinese Defense Ministry said. It will be Li Shangfu’s first trip to Belarus and second to Russia since he took office this year. Li is expected to speak at the Moscow Conference on International Security and meet with Russian defense officials. In Minsk, Li is scheduled to meet and hold talks with Belarusian state and military leaders, as well as visit Belarusian military institutions. Beijing and Moscow have deepened their partnership in recent years, though China has refrained from taking sides publicly in the war in Ukraine.
Kyiv called on the international community to protect trade through the Black Sea after a Russian warship shot at a Ukraine-bound cargo vessel on Sunday. Russia’s Defense Ministry said a Russian patrol ship used automatic weapons to fire “warning” shots toward a Palau-flagged bulk carrier that failed to respond to a request to halt for inspection. The carrier was later freed and allowed to sail on to the Ukrainian port city of Izmail, the ministry said on Telegram. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said the incident — a first since Russia withdrew from a U.N.-brokered grain deal last month — violated international law. The ministry called on other countries to “take decisive action to prevent” such incidents.
The Biden administration is set to provide another $200 million in assistance “to meet Ukraine’s critical security and defense needs,” in its forty-fourth military aid installment since August of 2021, the Department of Defense said Monday. The package includes ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS; mine clearing equipment; munition for the Patriot air defense system, javelin anti-tanks systems; and 12 million rounds of small arms ammunition and grenades, among other missiles and artillery.