'Pearl of the sea' in ruins
A ruthless barrage of missiles targeting the Ukraine port city of Odesa has left the "Pearl by the Sea" in ruins and prompted the hurried exit of thousands of residents, including many of whom had fled there to avoid fighting in the east.
Hi, I'm Nicole with another update on the Russia-Ukraine crisis and other world headlines.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative had allowed critical grain shipments from Odesa to sail through a Russian blockade bound for ports in Europe, Asia and Africa. But Russia, since pulling out of the deal a week ago, has brutally battered the elegant city known for its history, art, architecture and beaches.
Russia generally refrained from striking civilian infrastructure in Ukraine's southern ports for the year the agreement was in effect, the U.K. Defense Ministry said in its latest assessment of the war. But lately collateral damage from Russia's strike campaign has devastated the city, including the city's first church, the Transfiguration Cathedral, dating to the 1790s.
“I am a refugee from Kharkiv. I endured that hell and came to sunny Odesa," said Tetiana Khlapova, who moved to Odesa to escape the bombings that battered the eastern city of Kharkiv. "Here we are not protected for a single second, in any city. At any moment, you can just be hit, and your whole body will be torn apart.”
More Russia-Ukraine news to know now:
- European Union agriculture ministers met Tuesday in Brussels for the first time since Russia pulled the plug on a wartime grain deal last week to discuss global food security.
- International Atomic Energy Agency experts discovered land mines around the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant in Russian-occupied southeastern Ukraine,
- Russia's long-term commitment to using drones in military operations is underscored by a new program starting Sept. 1 to teach high school students how to operate combat drones, including how to confront such uncrewed aerial vehicles from the enemy.
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