Ukraine urgently needs to strengthen its air defense: Zelenskyy discusses daily shelling of Odesa ports with UK Prime Minister 

Zelenskyy stated this on Telegram.

"Ukraine urgently needs to strengthen its air defense to protect our people, its historical heritage and continue the Black Sea Grain Initiative," Zelenskyy said. 

Zelenskyy told Sunak about Russia trying to destroy the historic center of Odesa and its port infrastructure every day: "We must defend Odesa."

The leaders discussed further defense cooperation, the course of offensive operations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the current defense needs of our country.

"Rishi Sunak and I noted the adoption by the G7 of the Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine at the NATO Summit in Vilnius and the subsequent accession of other countries to it. We also coordinated future steps to fill it with concrete security guarantees on a bilateral basis," the post said. 

The UK Prime Minister's Office writes that Sunak and Zelenskyy agreed on the importance of ensuring that Ukraine's grain exports can reach international markets.

PM said that the UK is working closely with Turkey to restore the grain deal and continues to use its role as President of the UN Security Council to condemn Russia's behavior. The country and its partners are closely monitoring the situation in the Black Sea.

Discussing long-term security assurances, the leaders noted that the large number of countries proposing to sign the multilateral Joint Declaration demonstrates international support for Ukraine.

In addition, the United Kingdom continues to support Ukraine by supplying ammunition and missiles for air defense and artillery.

Russian attacks on Odesa

On the night of July 18, six missiles were fired from the Black Sea towards Odesa. Fortunately, the air defense forces destroyed all the missiles. However, the debris from the downed missiles and the blast wave caused damage to the port infrastructure and several private homes. An elderly man was injured in his home but is receiving treatment. Additionally, 21 Shahed-136 drones were destroyed before they could approach Odesa from the sea.

On July 19, Russian terrorists launched rocket attacks on Ukraine. In Zhytomyr region, an infrastructure object was damaged, while in Odesa region, high-rise buildings and an industrial port were targeted. Kherson experienced a fire at a cultural center, and in the Mykolaiv region, recreational infrastructure objects were attacked.

On July 20, Russia carried out attacks in southern and eastern Ukraine. In Odesa, an administrative building was destroyed, leaving four injured. In Mykolaiv, a residential building caught fire, resulting in casualties and at least 19 injuries.

On July 21, the Russian army launched a missile attack on the Odesa region, injuring two people, and causing the destruction of 120 tons of agricultural products.

On July 21, the enemy fired seven cruise missiles targeting an infrastructure facility in the Odesa region.

During the air alert on July 23, the Russian army attacked Odesa with at least five types of missiles. One person lost their life, and 22 others were injured. This marked the fifth consecutive night of massive rocket attacks on Odesa and the surrounding region within the past six days.

On the night of July 24, the Russian army carried out yet another attack on the port infrastructure of Odesa region using kamikaze drones.

Ihor Plekhov, the leader of the Reni community in the Odesa region, reported that during the night attack by Shahed drones, the Russian army struck their port, resulting in the destruction of three grain warehouses. Approximately 15 Shaheds were spotted during the incident. The blast wave caused damage to windows of buildings and houses in the Reni port area. However, firefighters acted swiftly to extinguish the fire.