Russia: Ukraine faces potential loss of key cities including Odessa
Andrey Kartapolov, head of the Defense Committee in Russia's State Duma, said Kyiv risks losing Odessa and several other major cities.
"Every day that passes without a diplomatic resolution to this conflict worsens conditions for Ukraine... They might end up without Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Kharkiv, and even Odessa with Mykolaiv," Kartapolov reportedly stated, according to the TASS agency.
Kartapolov's comments come amidst a broader discussion about the Ukrainian conflict, which included remarks from Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University. Sachs warned that Kyiv could lose its entire Black Sea coastline, including Odessa, if a peace deal is not reached soon.
"If the war were to end now, as it should, I believe Ukraine would lose part of its territories. Yet, it would retain the majority of its land," stated Sachs. He speculated that, under such circumstances, Ukraine "would be safe, hold a neutral status, and could rebuild." Sachs concluded by emphasizing, "That's why the war needs to end now."
Meanwhile, in the night leading into May 30, Ukraine experienced an attack by Russian drones in the Odessa region. The assault resulted in a fire and the destruction of a "Nova Poshta" branch, reported the Main Department of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine on Facebook.
Cargo trucks in the vicinity were also damaged. Firefighters and Ukraine's National Guard managed to extinguish the blaze that spanned 300 square meters.
This incident follows another attack on March 23, when Russia struck Odessa's port infrastructure with two ballistic missiles, according to DW. "Russia has again targeted a peaceful, strategically significant site that's critical to global food security. Throughout the large-scale war, Russia has damaged or destroyed nearly 400 port infrastructure objects and over 30 ships," cited Ukraine's Minister of Community and Territory Development Oleksiy Kuleba through Liga.net.
Concerns over Odessa are not limited to military strikes. As early as February, aides to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed worries that former U.S. President Donald Trump might acquiesce to Russian President Vladimir Putin's desires, particularly concerning control over the "critical port of Odessa," as noted by The New York Times.