In Moscow, the spokeswoman for Russian diplomacy said that Russian missiles had destroyed military infrastructure the day before in the port of Odessa, vital for the export of Ukrainian cereals.
"Kalibr missiles destroyed military infrastructure in the port of Odessa with a high-precision strike," wrote Maria Zakharova on her Telegram account, in response to a statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claiming that these strikes had destroyed the possibility of a dialogue or an agreement with Moscow.
These missiles notably destroyed a Ukrainian "military star", added the spokeswoman without giving further details or providing evidence. She also did not comment on the fate of the agreement which should allow the export of 20 to 25 million tonnes of grain blocked in Ukraine.
After these shots on Odessa, Ukraine accused Vladimir Putin of having "spit in the face" of the UN and Turkey and of compromising the application of the agreement signed on Friday on the resumption of grain exports blocked by the dispute.
On Saturday, Russia had however denied to Turkey having been involved in these strikes: "The Russians told us that they had absolutely nothing to do with this attack and that they were examining the question very closely", a assured Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar.
"The port of Odessa, where grain is processed for shipment, was bombed. We shot down two missiles, and two more missiles hit the territory of the port, where, obviously, there is grain," said a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force.
The invasion of Ukraine by Russia - two countries which notably provide 30% of world wheat exports - has led to a surge in grain and oil prices, hitting hard the African continent which is very dependent on these countries for its supply. .
- No respite on the front -
The war in Ukraine, which is entering its sixth month, knows no respite on the frontlines of Mykolaiv (south), in the Kharkiv region, the second largest city in the country located in the northeast, in the Kherson region ( south), and in the two pro-Russian separatist territories of Donetsk and Lugansk in eastern Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian presidency.
"Mykolaiv was again bombarded" on Sunday morning after being targeted on Saturday evening by four Kalibr-type cruise missiles", which injured five people including a teenager and damaged several buildings, according to this source.
The Ukrainian presidency also reported shelling in the Kharkiv region, where "several residential buildings were damaged and residential buildings were set on fire".
In addition, kyiv reports a worrying situation in the region of Kherson largely occupied by Russian forces since their invasion of Ukraine on February 24, even if the Ukrainians are carrying out a counterattack there. "Residents of almost all districts in the region (...) report numerous shellings and explosions", according to the same source.
- Thousands dead -
The war in Ukraine, which has also forced the exodus of millions of people, has claimed thousands of lives.
There is no overall assessment of civilian victims of the conflict, but the UN has counted nearly 5,000 confirmed dead, including more than 300 children, but the true number is undoubtedly much higher. For the only city of Mariupol (south-east), the Ukrainian authorities evoked some 20,000 dead.
On the military level, the Chief of the British Armed Forces, Admiral Tony Radakin, estimated last Sunday at 50,000 the number of Russian soldiers killed or wounded. kyiv reported 10,000 dead in its troops.
No independent statistics are available for the conflict in Ukraine, where more than 150 cultural sites have been partially or totally destroyed according to Unesco.
- Pyongyang accuse -
North Korea, which has just officially recognized two self-declared pro-Russian separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, accused Washington on Sunday of manufacturing biological weapons in Ukraine, echoing an accusation already made by Russia and dismissed by the UN in March.
Washington has "installed numerous biological laboratories in dozens of countries and regions, including Ukraine, in defiance of international treaties", the official North Korean news agency KCNA said, referring to elements "detected". by Russia.
Moscow accused Washington in March of funding research into the development of biological weapons in Ukraine.
Washington and kyiv deny the existence of laboratories intended to produce such weapons in Ukraine. The United States fears that these allegations indicate an intention by Moscow to soon use such weapons in Ukraine.
