Two loud explosions were heard in Odessa on the Black Sea in the early hours of Sunday and black smoke appeared to rise over the city, the largest port in Ukraine where its navy is based. “Odessa was attacked from the air. “Some of the missiles were shot down by the air defense,” the city council said in a brief statement on the Telegram messaging app. He said there were fires in some areas, but gave no indication of what hit the attack. With Mariupol east of Odessa being targeted by Russia, Ukraine insists it has gained a foothold in other parts of the country, prompting troops to retake territory north of the capital Kiev as Russian forces withdraw. “Ukraine has gained invaluable time, time that allows us to thwart the enemy’s tactics and weaken its capabilities,” said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy late Saturday. In Mariupol, however, surrounded by Russian forces for more than a month and brutalized by some of the worst attacks of the war, conditions remain miserable and escape prospects uncertain. About 100,000 people are believed to remain in the Sea of ​​Azov city, less than a quarter of its pre-war population of 430,000, and dire shortages of water, food, fuel and medicine still persist. Many more in Mariupol are waiting for the promises to be fulfilled to help them reach safety. Among those trying to evacuate residents was the International Committee of the Red Cross, which had not yet arrived in the city on Saturday, a day after local authorities said it had been blocked by Russian forces. Some residents escaped on their own, including Tamila Mazurenko, who arrived in Zaporizhia, a city still under Ukrainian control that has served as a hub for other evacuations. “I have only one question: Why?” she said about the test of her city. “Our normal lives have been ruined. And we lost everything. “I do not have a job, I can not find my son.” Mariupol is located in the predominantly Russian-speaking area of ​​Donbass, where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian troops for eight years. His arrest would create an unbroken land corridor from Russia to Crimea, which Moscow occupied from Ukraine in 2014. As Ukrainian troops moved cautiously to retake territory north of Kiev, the country and its Western allies said Russia was building strength in eastern Ukraine. Where Russian troops are retreating, Ukraine has said it will continue its attacks, bombing and targeting them as they withdraw. “Peace will not be the result of any decisions taken by the enemy somewhere in Moscow. There is no reason to hold out empty hopes that they will simply leave our land. “We can only have peace by fighting,” Zelenski said. Although the geography of the battlefield has changed, little has changed for many Ukrainians for more than five weeks in a war that has driven more than 4 million people to flee the country as refugees. Zelensky claimed that as Russian troops moved, they left mines around houses, abandoned equipment and even the bodies of the dead. These allegations could not be independently verified, but the Ukrainian troops heeded the warning. In Bucha, northwest of Kiev, Associated Press reporters watched as Ukrainian soldiers, backed by a column of tanks and other armored vehicles, used cables to pull corpses from a long distance, fearing they might be trapped. Locals said the dead – the AP counted at least six – were civilians killed without provocation by departing Russian troops. In cities and towns around Kyiv, signs of fierce fighting were everywhere after the Russian rearrangement. Damaged armored vehicles from both armies were found on roads and fields along with scattered military equipment. Ukrainian troops were at the entrance to Antonov Airport in the suburb of Hostomel, demonstrating control of a runway that Russia had tried to invade in the early days of the war. Inside the complex, the Mriya, one of the largest aircraft ever built, was damaged under a hangar with holes from the February attack. “The Russians could not build one and so they destroyed it,” said Oleksandr Merkushev, the mayor of nearby Irpin. The head of the Ukrainian delegation to the talks with Russia said that the Moscow negotiators had informally agreed to most of the draft proposal discussed during face-to-face talks in Istanbul this week, but no written confirmation had been given. However, David Arahamia told Ukrainian television that he hoped the draft had been developed enough for the two countries’ presidents to meet to discuss it. Although there is a glimmer of hope for Ukraine in some places, Zelensky said he expects the cities from which Russian forces are leaving to endure rocket and missile strikes from afar and the fighting in the east to be intense. In his speech Saturday afternoon, he called on his people to do everything they can to ensure the country survives, even to act as simply as they do good to one another. “When a nation defends itself in a war of annihilation, when it comes to the life or death of millions, there are no trivial things. “And everyone can contribute to a victory for all,” said the president. “Some with weapons in their hands. Some working. And some with warm words and help at the right time. Do what you can to stand together in this war for our freedom, for our independence. ”

Karmanau reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Andrea Rosa in Irpin, Ukraine, and Associated Press reporters around the world contributed to this report.

Follow the AP coverage for the war at

title: “Ukraine Sees Openings As Russia Fixed On Besieged Mariupol " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-09” author: “Craig Hodge”

Two loud explosions were heard in Odessa on the Black Sea and black smoke appeared to rise above the city, where the Ukrainian navy is based.  It is located west of Mariupol, a smaller port that has been under attack for most of the war and rescuers are desperate to get there.
The Odessa city council said in a brief statement that a morning air raid had set fires in some areas.  The Russian military said hours later that it had used ships and missiles fired from aircraft to hit an oil refinery and fuel depots supplied by Ukrainian troops.
City council said Ukraine’s air defenses fired several missiles before hitting the city.  Ukrainian army spokesman Vladyslav Nazarov said there were no casualties in the attack.
In Mariupol, conditions remained miserable and escape prospects uncertain.  The besieged city, which has been ravaged by some of the worst attacks in the war, said weeks ago that water, food, fuel and medicine were running out.  About 100,000 people are believed to still be there, less than a quarter of the city’s 430,000 pre-war population.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it hoped a team sent to help evacuate residents would arrive in Mariupol on Sunday.  Ukrainian authorities said Russia had agreed a few days ago to allow safe passage through the city, but similar agreements have repeatedly collapsed under constant bombardment.
Mariupol is located in the predominantly Russian-speaking area of ​​Donbass, where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian troops for eight years.  His arrest would create an unbroken land corridor from Russia to Crimea, which Moscow occupied from Ukraine in 2014.
With Mariupol being targeted by Russia, Ukraine insists it has gained a foothold in other parts of the country.  As his country’s troops recaptured territory north of the capital Kiev from outgoing Russian troops, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on all Ukrainians to do what they could “to thwart the enemy’s tactics and weaken its capabilities.”
“Peace will not be the result of any decisions made by the enemy somewhere in Moscow. There is no reason to hold out empty hopes that they will simply leave our land. We can only have peace by fighting,” Zelensky said late Saturday.
Zelensky and Ukraine’s western allies believe that Russia has moved its forces from the capital and the north of the country to build forces in the east and south.  The Ukrainian leader again urged the West to supply its army with warplanes and more anti-missile systems.
“Every Russian missile that hits our cities and every bomb that falls on our people, our children, adds only black paint to history that will describe everyone on whom the decision depended – the decision on whether to help Ukraine with modern weapons, “Zelenskyy said.  he said.
As the geography of the battlefield has changed, little has changed for many Ukrainians for more than five weeks in a war that has driven more than four million people to flee the country as refugees and displaced millions more.
The regional governor in Kharkov said on Sunday that Russian artillery and tanks had carried out more than 20 strikes in Ukraine’s second largest city and its northeastern suburbs in the past day.  Governor Oleh Synyehubov said a rocket attack in the town of Lozovo had injured four people and that Russian tanks had bombed a hospital in the town of Balakliia.
Zelensky claimed on Saturday that Russian troops had left mines around houses, abandoned equipment and even the bodies of the dead as they withdrew from Kyiv.  These allegations could not be independently verified, but the Ukrainian troops heeded the warning.
In Bucha, northwest of the capital, Associated Press reporters watched as Ukrainian soldiers, backed by a column of tanks and other armored vehicles, used cables to pull corpses from a long distance, fearing they might be trapped.  Locals said the dead – the AP counted at least six – were civilians killed without provocation by departing Russian troops.
In cities and towns around Kyiv, signs of fierce fighting were everywhere after the Russian rearrangement.  Damaged armored vehicles from both armies were found on roads and fields along with scattered military equipment.
Ukrainian troops were at the entrance to Antonov Airport in the suburb of Hostomel, demonstrating control of the runway that Russia tried to invade in the early days of the war.
Inside the complex, the Mriya, one of the largest aircraft ever built, was damaged under a hangar with holes from the February attack.
The head of the Ukrainian delegation to the talks with Russia said that the Moscow negotiators had informally agreed on most of the draft proposal that was discussed during face-to-face talks in Istanbul this week, but no written confirmation has been given.
Ukrainian negotiator David Arahamia told Ukrainian television that he hoped it was developed enough for the two countries’ presidents to meet to discuss it.
Ukrainian authorities have warned that Russia’s focus on eastern Ukraine does not mean that Kyiv and other cities will not be targeted again.  In his speech Saturday afternoon, Zelensky called on his people to do all they can to ensure the country’s survival, even doing things as simple as showing kindness to one another.
“When a nation is defending itself in a war of annihilation, when it comes to the life or death of millions, there are no trivial things … And everyone can contribute to a victory for all,” he said.
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Karmanau reported from Lviv, Ukraine.  Andrea Rosa in Irpin, Ukraine, and Associated Press reporters around the world contributed to this report.
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