{"id":3957,"date":"2022-04-04T10:54:19","date_gmt":"2022-04-04T10:54:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linksus.net\/odessa-rocked-by-explosions-as-russia-claims-strikes-on-oil-refinery-fuel-depots-the-washington-post\/"},"modified":"2022-04-04T10:54:19","modified_gmt":"2022-04-04T10:54:19","slug":"odessa-rocked-by-explosions-as-russia-claims-strikes-on-oil-refinery-fuel-depots-the-washington-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/2022\/04\/04\/odessa-rocked-by-explosions-as-russia-claims-strikes-on-oil-refinery-fuel-depots-the-washington-post\/","title":{"rendered":"Odessa rocked by explosions as Russia claims strikes on oil refinery, fuel depots – The Washington Post"},"content":{"rendered":"

ODESSA, Ukraine \u2014 Explosions rocked Odessa early Sunday as Russia said its missiles struck an oil refinery and fuel storage facilities \u2014 sending thick dark plumes of smoke into the sky in the first major strikes on the strategic Black Sea port city\u2019s downtown.
The strikes come as Russian troops appear to be regrouping and shifting their focus away from the capital, Kyiv, near where Ukrainian forces are recapturing territory<\/a>, as the war grinds into its 39th day. As Moscow\u2019s forces seek to make gains in the country\u2019s south and east, cities on the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea are coming into renewed focus, setting the stage for a new phase in the conflict that military analysts warn could be long and bloody<\/a>.
Odessa has long been considered a target for the Russian military because it is an economically vital port, but with Moscow\u2019s ground forces unable to advance past Mykolaiv, about 70 miles east, Odessa has largely been spared from attacks. Local businesses and even the zoo have reopened in the past week.
Britain\u2019s Defense Ministry said<\/a> Sunday that Russia\u2019s navy is strategically blockading the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov to prevent Ukraine from rearming. In another battered port city, Mariupol, Ukrainians will also face \u201cdifficult\u201d fights ahead, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky warned, as Moscow vies for a strategic victory that would free up thousands of troops to fight elsewhere.
Russia\u2019s Defense Ministry reported that high-precision sea and air missiles had destroyed an oil refinery and three fuel storage facilities near Odessa. The claim could not be immediately verified independently by The Washington Post.
Ukrainian officials said<\/a> the fire had been extinguished but the depot had been destroyed and could \u201cno longer function\u201d following Sunday\u2019s attack.
In a statement posted on Telegram early Sunday, the Odessa City Council said the city was attacked from the air and that \u201csome missiles were shot down by air defense.\u201d Fires were reported in some areas, and residents were advised to close their windows and stay away while emergency responders carried out their work.
Fuel depots across the country have been widely targeted by Russia since President Vladimir Putin invaded in late February.
Last week, in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, Russian missiles \u201ccompletely destroyed\u201d a fuel depot, according to Ukrainian officials. <\/b>Russia also targeted an oil depot in Dnipro, the Kyiv Independent reported <\/a>on March 30.
Russia accused Ukraine<\/a> of targeting a fuel depot in the Russian city of Belgorod \u2014 an allegation Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has neither confirmed or denied.
\u201cFortunately, no one was injured. Houses were damaged, glass was broken, roofs were destroyed,\u201d Odessa Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov told public broadcaster Suspilne. \u201cCommunal services are already at the site. We will provide all necessary assistance to those whose homes are damaged. The situation is under control.\u201d
Zelensky had made an emotional plea hours earlier for Western nations to send more missile defense systems and planes<\/a> to guard against Moscow\u2019s bombardments from the air: \u201cEvery single Russian missile that has hit our cities, and every bomb that has been thrown onto our people, our children, will be a black mark on the history of those who made that decision \u2014 the decision on whether or not to assist Ukraine with modern weaponry.\u201d
Although military analysts think the next phase of the 39-day-old war will primarily be a battle for southeastern Ukraine<\/a>, that doesn\u2019t rule out attacks on other areas, especially from the air.
And if the southern port city of Mariupol \u2014 where Moscow has already wreaked massive destruction <\/a>and deprivation \u2014 falls, \u201cit could free up Russian logistics and manpower along the southern axis of advance,\u201d wrote<\/a> Michael Kofman, director of Russian studies at CNA, a research institute in Arlington, Va.
Pannett reported from Sydney. Hassan reported from London. Vladyslav Maslov in Odessa and Annabelle Timsit in London contributed to this report.<\/i>
The latest: <\/b>Russian troops appeared to be regrouping and shifting their focus<\/a> away from Kyiv. That could set the stage for a new phase in the conflict \u2014 centered on the country\u2019s east \u2014 that military analysts warn<\/a> could be long and bloody<\/a>. Also, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Ukrainians to prepare for \u201cdifficult fights\u201d ahead in the besieged port city of Mariupol. And on the southern coast, explosions were heard throughout Odessa on Sunday morning.
The fight: <\/b>Nearly five weeks into their invasion, Russian forces continue to mount sporadic attacks<\/a> on civilian targets in a number of Ukrainian cities. Russia has been accused of committing war crimes<\/a>.
The weapons: <\/b>Ukraine is making use of weapons such as Javelin antitank missiles<\/a> and Switchblade \u201ckamikaze\u201d drones<\/a>, provided by the United States and other allies. Russia has used an array of weapons<\/a> against Ukraine, some of which have drawn the attention and concern of analysts.
In Russia: <\/b>Putin has locked down the flow of information within Russia, where the war isn\u2019t even being called a war<\/a>. The last independent newsletter in Russia suspended its operations<\/a> Monday.
Photos: <\/b>Post photographers have been on the ground from the very beginning of the war \u2014 here\u2019s some of their most powerful work<\/a>.
How you can help:<\/b> Here are ways those in the U.S. can help support the Ukrainian people<\/a> as well as what people around the world have been donating<\/a>.
Read our full coverage of the <\/i>Russia-Ukraine crisis<\/i><\/a>. Are you on Telegram? <\/i>Subscribe to our channel<\/i><\/a> for updates and exclusive video.<\/i>
News\u2022<\/span>
News\u2022<\/span><\/p>\n

source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ODESSA, Ukraine \u2014 Explosions rocked Odessa early Sunday as Russia said its missiles struck an oil refinery and fuel storage facilities \u2014 sending thick dark plumes of smoke into the sky in the first major strikes on the strategic Black Sea port city\u2019s downtown.The strikes come as Russian troops appear to be regrouping and shifting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":869,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3957"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/869"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3957"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3957\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}