Crimean bridge must be destroyed - President Zelenskyy 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reacted to the Russian shelling of Odesa, noting that the enemy will face the consequences for this crime

He wrote about this on his Telegram channel.

"Missiles against peaceful cities, against residential buildings, a cathedral... There can be no excuse for Russian evil. As always, this evil will lose. And there will definitely be a retaliation to Russian terrorists for Odesa. They will feel this retaliation," the message reads.

The President noted that all those who suffered from this latest terrorist attack are being provided with assistance. 

"I am grateful to everyone who is helping people and to everyone who is with Odesa in their thoughts and emotions. We will get through this. We will restore peace. And for this, we must defeat the Russian evil," Zelenskyy emphasized.

Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba also reacted to the shelling of Odesa.

"Barrages of Russian missiles kill people and ruin iconic sites in UNESCO-protected Odesa. The largest-ever attack on a major port vital for world food security is an attack on the entire global community. I urge all states and organizations to condemn this barbaric war crime," he wrote on Twitter. 

Earlier, CNN reported that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had called the Crimean bridge a target of the Ukrainian military and said that it should be completely neutralized. 

Zelenskyy called it “an enemy facility built outside the law, outside international laws and all applicable norms.”

“So understandably this is our objective. Any target that is bringing war, not peace, must be neutralized,” he said. 

He also emphasized that the goal of Ukraine is to liberate Crimea from the Russian invaders, because it is the sovereign territory of the state and an integral part of the Ukrainian people.

According to the president, the Crimean bridge is not just a logistical road, this is the road used to feed the war with ammunition, and this is being done on a daily basis.

 

What is known about the missile attack on Odesa:

During the air raid alarm on the night of July 23, the Russian army attacked Odesa with at least 5 types of missiles. As of this morning, one person died, and 22 others were injured in the attack.

Oleh Kiper, the head of the Odesa regional military administration, said that clearing the debris and putting out fires is still ongoing. All the necessary services are working on the ground.

Later, OC South announced that the enemy used at least 5 types of missiles during the attack at night, including Kalibr, Oniks, Kh-22, Iskander-K, and Iskander-M ballistic missiles.

The Russians destroyed the port infrastructure and damaged at least 6 residential buildings, including apartments. Many city buildings had their facades and roofs damaged, and windows were broken. Two architectural monuments were also damaged.

The Transfiguration Cathedral, Odesa's largest Orthodox church, and the House of Scientists were destroyed during the attack. In addition to significant building damage, important Orthodox shrines like the Kasperov Icon of the Mother of God, Odesa's patroness, were found among the debris.

During the night of July 23, air defense units in the Odesa region destroyed 9 out of 19 enemy air targets, including 4 Kalibr sea-based cruise missiles and 5 Iskander-K land-based cruise missiles.