Ukraine said Russia carried out missile and drone strikes on the morning of September 17, mostly targeting southern parts of the Odesa region, while Moscow and other regions in Russia reported Ukrainian drone strikes.
Ukraine has in recent days carried out a series of attacks on Russian military targets in occupied Crimea and on the buildings of the Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet.
Attacks inside Russia, away from the front lines, have also increased, and Moscow’s leader said at least two drones were downed in the Russian capital region.
Meanwhile, Russian attacks on port infrastructure in Ukraine have continued, and on September 17, Ukrainian authorities reported that an agricultural building in the southern Odesa region was the target of Russian airstrikes.
Russia carried out strikes with six Iranian-made Shahed drones and fired ten cruise missiles, while Ukrainian forces destroyed six drones and six missiles before they could reach their targets, the Ukrainian air force said.
“Fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft units, mobile combat groups and other offensive means were involved in repelling the airstrikes,” the Ukrainian Air Force said.
The airstrikes in Odesa come a day after Kiev said two cargo ships reached its shores using a temporary shipping lane to ports on the Black Sea. These ships were loaded with grain destined for African and Asian markets.
Last month, Ukraine announced a “humanitarian corridor” in the Black Sea to enable ships to sail from its ports to avoid a de facto blockade that was created after Russia abandoned a deal allowing Kiev to safely export grain. through ports in the Black Sea.
Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense wrote on Telegram that its air defense systems have destroyed six drones in the occupied Ukrainian region of Crimea.
The ministry did not say whether there had been damage or casualties on the peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.
In the Moscow region, one drone was destroyed over the Istra region, while another over the Ramensky region, the head of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, wrote on Tegram. He added that there was no damage or casualties.
State news agencies in Russia have reported that at least 30 flights have been delayed or canceled at the three main airports in the Russian capital.
In southwestern Russia, a Ukrainian drone damaged an oil depot on the morning of September 17, causing a fire that has since been extinguished, local authorities reported.
In his overnight address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on September 16 thanked his country’s allies for their continued support for Ukraine’s fight against Russian occupation.
Zelensky is expected to stay in the United States next week, where he will meet with US President Joe Biden and senior congressional lawmakers from both parties. He is also expected to address the General Assembly of the United Nations, which is holding its proceedings next week./REL
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