Russia hit Fidonisi with phosphorus bombs, Kyiv complains

LAST UPDATE: 22.06

The Ukrainian army this evening accused the Russians of hitting Fidonisi, on the Black Sea, with phosphorus bombs, from where the Russian forces withdrew on Thursday.

“Around 6:00 p.m. (local time) the Russian armed forces carried out two air strikes with phosphorus bombs in Fidonisi,” Ukrainian commander Valery Zaluzny said via Telegram, accusing Moscow of “not even respecting its own announcements.” .

Yesterday, the Russian military said it was withdrawing from the islet “as a sign of goodwill” after achieving the “goals” it had set there.

“The only thing the enemy is consistent about is the ‘accuracy’ of their hits,” Zaluzny quipped.

The message is accompanied by a video showing a plane flying over the island and dropping at least two bombs that leave thin, white lines in the sky.

Phosphorus bombs are incendiary weapons prohibited from being used against civilian targets, but not against military personnel, under a convention signed in Geneva in 1980. Kyiv accuses Moscow of having used them several times in recent months against civilians, which which the Russian military claims it does not.

At least 21 dead from the Russian strikes in Odessa

At least 21 people were killed today by Russian airstrikes overnight in Odesa, southern Ukraine.

According to the Ukrainian military command of the southern front, Tupolev Tu-22 fighters, these Cold War-era bombers designed to be able to carry nuclear weapons, fired Kh-22 missiles at an apartment building and tourist facilities.

The latest tally, posted on Telegram by rescue services, says 16 dead and 38 injured (including 6 children) in the apartment building and 5 dead, including a child, in the tourist facility. The post is accompanied by photos of a damaged building.

The nine-story apartment building is located in the Bilgorod-Dniester region, about 80 kilometers south of Odessa, regional administration spokesman Serhii Brachuk said.

“This is a targeted and deliberate blow by Russia, let’s be honest, of Russian terrorism against our cities and villages, our population, adults and children,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, welcoming Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas in Kyiv Gar Stere. Oslo today pledged 10 billion crowns (about 1 billion euros) in aid to Ukraine, mainly to buy equipment.

“I call on our partners to provide Ukraine with anti-missile defense systems as soon as possible. Help us save lives,” was the appeal made by Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, calling Russia a “terrorist state.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, when asked about the issue, reiterated that Russia’s armed forces do not strike civilian targets in Ukraine.

“The Russian side, which once again talks about collateral losses, is inhumane and cynical,” German government spokesman Steffen Hebertreit commented from Berlin.

The Kh-22 missiles used today, according to the Ukrainian side, are Cold War-era Soviet cruise missiles developed to target warships. Such rockets also hit the commercial center of the city of Kremenchuk last Monday, killing at least 19 people.