Russia continues to attack Odesa region: Ukraine's Permanent Representative to UN explains reason

Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Sergiy Kyslytsya said this at a meeting of the Security Council on Friday, Ukrinform reports.

"Russia's attempts to blackmail the international community by withdrawing from the initiative have failed," Kyslytsya explained. "However, Ukraine...despite the war, has launched the sea corridor and continues to strengthen its effectiveness.”

According to Kyslytsya, since August 2023, almost 30 million tons of cargo have been exported from the ports of Odesa, Pivdennyi, and Chornomorsk to 42 countries. Of these, more than 8 million tons were exported in February alone. Agricultural products account for 80% of shipments.

In fact, exports from Ukraine's Black Sea ports have reached a level comparable to that before the full-scale invasion, the envoy noted.

"The Russian Black Sea Fleet, which is constantly shrinking, no longer dares to appear in the northwestern part of the Black Sea, not to mention its ability to blockade Ukrainian ports," he emphasized.

All that remains for Russia is to launch missiles in an attempt to intimidate Ukraine and our trading partners, he said, emphasizing the importance of strengthening air defense of ports.

• On March 6, Russia fired on Odesa. An enemy missile exploded 500 meters from the motorcade of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and could have been an attempt on his life.
• In the evening of March 7, the Russian army again launched attack drones from the Black Sea to southern Ukraine. An infrastructure facility was hit in the Odesa region.