Liveblog: ++ Governor speaks of 18 injured in Mykolaiv ++

According to the governor, 18 people were injured in attacks on the center of Mykolayiv. The Ukrainian military announced that cruise missiles and drones had been shot down during the night. All developments in the live blog.

The Russian military has attacked cities in southern Ukraine for the third night in a row. The goal was again Odessa on the Black Sea, according to the Ukrainian authorities. Two injured people were reported from the port city. Governor Oleh Kiper said a building in the city center had been damaged. A fire caused damage.

The Ukrainian military said five cruise missiles and 13 drones were shot down over the southern regions of Mykolaiv and Odessa overnight. Russia fired a total of 19 cruise missiles and 19 drones at Ukrainian targets.

At least 18 people, including at least five children, were injured in attacks on the center of the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv. This was announced by the governor of the Mykolaiv region Vitaly Kim on Telegram. According to the information, a building and several garages caught fire in the city. Two people were rescued from the rubble, which is like a miracle, Kim continued.

A youth was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed by Russia, according to the governor appointed by Moscow. “As a result of an enemy drone attack, four administrative buildings (…) in north-western Crimea were damaged,” said Crimea’s Russian governor, Sergey Aksyonov, on Telegram. A teenager was killed.

Since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression in February 2022, Crimea has been the target of regular attacks. According to Russian sources, a fire broke out yesterday at a military base in Crimea. Authorities deployed by Moscow ordered the evacuation of more than 2,000 people. On Monday there was an attack on the symbolically and strategically important bridge between Russia and Crimea.

According to Ukrainian sources, the port city of Mykolaiv has again been the target of Russian attacks. A three-story apartment building in the city center was hit, said the governor of the region, Vitaly Kim, in the news app Telegram. Several people were killed and at least nine people were injured.

Southern Ukraine’s Odessa region has come under shelling for the third night in a row. According to local media reports, explosions were again heard near the port of Odessa. The air defense was active. The Ukrainian Air Force warned Telegram that supersonic anti-ship missiles had been launched in the direction of the Odessa region. She called on people to stay hidden. In the previous two nights, Russia had already carried out airstrikes in the Odessa region on the Black Sea.

According to their boss, Yevgeny Prigoschin, the Russian Wagner mercenaries will no longer fight in the Ukraine, but should gather their strength in Belarus for new missions in Africa. In a video, Prigozhin apparently welcomes members of his private army in Belarus. “We fought honorably,” the recording said, referring to Ukraine. “You have done a great deal for Russia. What is happening at the front is a disgrace that we do not have to be a part of.” They may return there “if we can be sure that we will not be forced to dishonor ourselves”. The recording was published on Prigozhin’s official Telegram channel.

According to Amnesty International, more than 20,000 people in Russia have been hit with severe punitive measures for criticizing the Ukraine war. According to a report by the organization, 21,000 people faced reprisals last year for criticizing Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine.

“New, absurd laws” were passed and immediately put into effect to criminalize those who freely expressed their opinions, said Julia Duchrow, Deputy Secretary General of Amnesty Germany. According to the report, the Russian authorities are using increasingly brutal tactics to crack down on anti-war activists at home. Anyone who protests against the war or spreads critical information about the Russian armed forces must expect “severe criminal, administrative and other sanctions”.

The US warns of attacks against civilian shipping on the Black Sea. The US authorities have information that Russia has laid additional sea mines in the approaches to Ukrainian ports, said Adam Hodge, spokesman for the White House National Security Council. “We believe this is a coordinated move to justify attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea and blame Ukraine for those attacks.” Russia had announced that from midnight Moscow time (11:00 p.m. CEST) it would consider all ships destined for Ukraine as “potential carriers of military equipment”.

The US has announced an additional $1.3 billion in military aid to Ukraine. NATO member Finland is closing the Russian consulate general in Turku. Wednesday’s developments to read.