Ukraine claims Russia targeting Odesa port to disrupt shipments of weapons from West

Ukrainian officials have claimed that Russia pounded the crucial port of Odesa in an apparent attempt to disrupt supply lines and Western weapons shipments. Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, meanwhile, hinted that Ukraine's war objectives could be expanded.

With the war now in its 11th week and Kyiv stifling Russian forces and even conducting a counteroffensive, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba appeared to imply that the government could move beyond simply forcing Russia back to regions it or its allies held on the day of the February 24 invasion. 

Mariupol, where Ukrainian fighters remained holed up at a steel plant, denying Russia's full control over the city. However, the defending regiment stated that Russian warplanes continued to bombard the plant, striking 34 times in 24 hours. 

It is to mention here that Moscow's Defense Ministry announced last week that Russia had struck military equipment supplied to Ukraine by the United States and European countries. According to Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov, the Russian strikes aimed at disrupting the flow of Western weapons to Ukrainian forces occurred near the Bohodukhiv railway station near Kharkiv in northeast Ukraine. He also claimed that Russia's military attacked an ammunition depot near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, as well as three ammunition and fuel depots near Dachne in the Odessa region.

226 children killed in Russia-Ukraine War

The Russia-Ukraine war has entered day 77, with no resolution in sight. Ukraine is claiming that Russian forces are conducting "storming operations" on the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, while the US has received "anecdotal reports" that some Russian troops in Ukraine are not obeying orders.

In its most recent update, Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office stated on May 11 that at least 226 children had been killed in Ukraine since the Russian onslaught began on February 24. In addition, 417 people have been injured in the ongoing conflict. However, the figures are expected to be higher because they exclude casualties in areas where hostilities are still ongoing and in Russian-occupied territory, according to the Kyiv Independent. Moreober, Russian missiles hit Sloviansk, Donetsk Oblast today. According to Sloviansk Mayor Vadym Lyakh, no casualties have been reported so far.

(With inputs from AP)

(Image: AP)