Live blog: Russia launches deadly missile attack at Ukraine's Odessa

Monday, April 29, 2024

1759 GMT — A Russian missile attack on an educational institution in Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odessa killed at least four people and injured 28, Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said on the Telegram messaging app.

Four injured were in serious condition, Kiper wrote. Among the injured were two children and a pregnant woman.

More updates 👇

1357 GMT — Ukraine's Zelenskyy calls for faster arms supplies

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that vital US weapons were starting to arrive in Ukraine in small amounts but deliveries needed to be faster as advancing Russian invasion forces were trying to take advantage.

Zelenskyy told a joint press conference in Kiev alongside NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg that the situation on the battlefield directly depended on the speed of ammunition supplies to Ukraine.

"Timely support for our army. Today I don't see anything positive on this point yet. There are supplies, they have slightly begun, this process needs to be sped up," he said.

1242 GMT — Russia's war in Ukraine boosts EU case for further expansion, chairman says

Russia's 2022 offensive on Ukraine has given a fresh impetus to the European Union's drive to admit more countries, the bloc's chairman said, adding he hoped the 27-nation club and prospective new members would be ready by 2030.

European Council President Charles Michel spoke ahead of the 20th anniversary on Wednesday of the EU's "Big Bang" enlargement that added 10 mostly ex-communist nations such as Poland and Hungary but also the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Cyprus to a bloc that had then comprised just 15 members.

"It was a call of history to unite European countries," Michel told reporters of the 2004 enlargement.

"Twenty years later we face a similar challenge because there is this geo-political chaos, including because of this war by Russia against Ukraine. And facing this chaos is the geo-political strategy to reunify once again."

1154 GMT — Russia's war against Ukraine 'a strategic debacle': US

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Russia's war against Ukraine has been a "strategic debacle" for Moscow.

"If you step back and look at it, this Russian aggression has been a strategic debacle for Russia," he said at the World Economic Forum in the Saudi capital Riyadh, adding that the Russian government has had to "make this great effort" to get around export controls and sanctions.

"It has reoriented its economy in a way that it is not sustainable," Blinken also said, further underlining that "in the aggregate, Russia is weaker economically and militarily."

"It is diplomatically weaker in much of the world, not all. But in much of it."

The top diplomat further added: "Ukrainians are united in ways that they have not been before."

1022 GMT — Russia captures another village in eastern Ukraine: Moscow

Russia has said it advanced further in eastern Ukraine, capturing another village near the Moscow-held town of Avdiivka after a series of recent territorial gains.

The defence ministry said it had "liberated" Semenivka, as Moscow's forces pressed their advantage in manpower and ammunition on the battlefield.

0919 GMT — Xi, Macron to discuss Ukraine-Russia war in Paris

Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to make a state visit to France on May 6 and 7, Paris has announced with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East expected to be high on the agenda.

The visit to France, which will be followed by trips to Serbia and Hungary, marks the Chinese leader's first European tour since the coronavirus pandemic.

"This visit takes place on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries and follows on from the president's visit to Beijing and Guangzhou in April 2023", President Emmanuel Macron's office said in a statement.

0917 GMT — North Korea decries US shipment of long-range tactical missiles to Ukraine

North Korea has condemned the US for shipping longer-range tactical missiles to Ukraine to use against Russia, denouncing Washington as a "harasser" of peace that has been "aggravating" the war by providing Kiev with such weapons.

The US confirmed last week that it has sent a "significant" number of Army Tactical Missile Systems missiles to Ukraine for use inside the Ukrainian territory following Russia's use of North Korean ballistic missiles against Kiev.

An unnamed director at the Foreign Military Affairs Department of North Korea's Defense Ministry said in a statement that Washington cannot turn the tide of the war with such a "mean" policy, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

0916 GMT — Telegram unblocks chatbots used by Ukraine's security services

Ukraine has said the Telegram messaging app restored access to several chatbots used by Ukraine's security agencies to collect information about Russia's war effort after the services were briefly suspended.

The Dubai-based Telegram app founded by Russian-born Pavel Durov blocked several bots used by Ukraine to fight back against Russia, Kiev's military spy agency GUR said in a statement shortly after midnight.

0832 GMT — UAE, Ukraine conclude talks on bilateral trade deal

The United Arab Emirates and Ukraine have completed negotiations for a bilateral trade deal, according to a joint statement released, ahead of its formal signing.

The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) will remove or reduce tariffs on a range of goods and products, remove trade barriers and ease market access to exporters from both sides, the statement said.

In addition, the CEPA will also "support Ukraine's recovery and the rebuilding of key industries and infrastructure, while also helping to strengthen supply chains to the (Middle East and North Africa) region for major exports such as grains, machinery and metals.

0821 GMT — Polish protesters unblock all crossings into Ukraine

Polish protesters unblocked all border crossing points with Ukraine, a Ukraine border guard spokesperson said on a Ukrainian TV broadcast.

"Fortunately, we have unblocked all directions on the border with Poland," the border guard spokesman Andriy Demchenko said of Polish farmers ending the blockade. He added that the trucks transporting grain products will still face restrictions

0626 GMT — Ukraine says resisting heavy attacks in east amid Russian advance

Ukraine has said it had foiled 55 Russian attacks in the eastern Donetsk region, a day after it admitted to a worsening situation on the front line.

Moscow over the weekend claimed another eastern village, Novobakhmutivka, as struggling Ukrainian forces await the arrival of crucial US weapons.

The Ukrainian army said it had "repulsed 55 attacks" in several villages north and west of Novobakhmutivka.

2145 GMT — North Korea condemns US long-range missile supply to Ukraine

North Korea criticised the United States for supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine, state media KCNA has reported, citing a statement from the defence ministry.

The United States in recent weeks secretly shipped long-range missiles to Ukraine for use in its battle to fight off Russian forces, a US official said on April 24.

On Sunday, the director of the Department of Foreign Military Affairs of North Korea's Ministry of National Defence was quoted as saying in a statement:

"The US has secretly supplied long-range missiles to Ukraine, sparking off uneasiness and concern of the international community."

1917 GMT — Ukraine signals worsening front amidst Russia's new gains

Ukraine's army leader has admitted that Kiev's position on the battlefield has worsened after Russian forces captured another village in the east, pressing their advantage in manpower and ammunition.

"The situation at the front has worsened," Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky said in a Facebook post.

Ukrainian troops had "retreated" westwards to new defensive lines in a section of the front that runs past the city of Donetsk, controlled by pro-Russian forces since 2014.

Russia has "a significant advantage in forces and means" and had been able to notch up advances amid "heavy fighting", Syrsky said.

"In some sectors, the enemy had tactical success, and in some areas, our troops managed to improve the tactical position," he added.

For our live updates from Sunday, April 28, click here.