WAR IN UKRAINE: August 11, 2023
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 534
The number of people killed as a result of the overnight Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia yesterday has increased to three. At least 16 people were wounded, including an infant. According to the State Emergency Service, a woman sitting on a bench near a church & a man passing by - were in the epicentre of the explosion & died on the spot. Another 21-year-old woman died in hospital from her injuries. Fresh images via Ukraine media show pretty severe damage - including to the Optima Zaporozhye Hotel, which had also served as a base for humanitarian organizations working in the region. The Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul was completely destroyed.
This morning all oblasts of Ukraine came under air raid alerts. There were reports of explosions in Kyiv (work of air defense systems) and also in Khmelnytsky and Vynnytsia oblasts. Kyiv mayor Vitaliy Klychko said fragments of a rocket fell on the territory of a children's hospitals.There were no injuries or damage.
Also this morning two airports in the Moscow region were forced to halt operations due to reports of drones. Social media showed an explosion in a central area of the Russian capital
Ukraine has ordered the mandatory evacuation of all civilians from 37 settlements in the north-east as Russia steps up its attacks there. The authorities in the Kupiansk district of the Kharkiv region said they had to act because of "constant Russian shelling" in the area. A woman was killed by shelling in the district on Thursday, Ukraine said. Russia says its troops have gained some ground in the area. Ukraine says Russian attacks have been rebuffed - BBC
Ukraine's Naval Forces announced on Aug. 10 new temporary routes for civilian vessels moving to or from the Black Sea ports amid a Russia-declared blockade. The corridor will initially be used to enable the exit of civilian ships stuck in the Ukrainian ports of Chornomorsk, Odesa, and Pivdenny since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion. However, the military threat from Russia and mine risks remain along all the routes, the navy said, adding that only vessels whose owners or captains officially confirm their readiness to sail under such conditions will be allowed to pass through. According to the statement, Ukraine already proposed these routes to the International Maritime Organization, which recognized Ukraine's right to free commercial navigation, guaranteed by international maritime law - Kyiv Independent
Required reading…
No Ukrainian grain means pain for Africa. Will that change Putin’s tune?
During wartime, as one’s familiar surroundings are inevitably altered, there are many things that can make one sad.
As a temporary resident of the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa, one of the things I miss most is the sight of enormous bulk carrier ships on the horizon. During my daily walks along the coastline as recently as today , I’d count how many were lined up to enter the port, and then watch as they filled their cavernous hulls with wheat, barley, corn or sunflower oil before sailing off to distant world markets.
Read my full Globe and Mail OpEd here