Russia-Ukraine war live: Kyiv officials decry ‘unprecedented’ recent missile strikes; one killed in Odesa attack

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A person has been killed in Russian missile strikes on Odesa, the military administration spokesman Serhiy Bratchuk has said on Telegram. Two people were injured.

“Most of the enemy’s missiles were shot down over the sea by the Air Defense Forces. Unfortunately, an industrial object was hit: 1 person died, two were injured,” he wrote.

This morning’s strikes on Kyiv are the ninth in a series of recent raids by Russia that are “unprecedented in their power, intensity and variety,” the Kyiv City Regional City Administration (KMBA) wrote a short while ago on Telegram.

Air raid alerts are still in place for Kyiv.

“This time the attack was carried out by strategic bombers Tu-95MS, Tu-160 from the Caspian region, probably by cruise missiles of the X-101/555 type. After launching the rockets, the enemy deployed its reconnaissance UAVs over the capital,” the KMBA wrote.

Ukraine’s army reported several explosions in Kyiv and other parts of the country early Thursday morning, urging people to stay in bomb shelters.

A fire broke out at a business in the city’s Darnytskyi district as a result of falling debris, and an explosion was recorded in the Desnyansky district, according to Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko.

“The attack on the capital continues. Do not leave the shelters during the air alert!” he implored on Telegram.

Welcome back to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine with me, Helen Sullivan. Air raid sirens are sounding in Kyiv, where it approaching 7am, as people are urged to take shelter.

Russia launched missiles at Kyiv, with falling debris causing a fire at a business building, authorities reported.

Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko wrote on Telegram a short while ago:

“Fire in a garage cooperative due to falling debris in Darnytskyi district. In the same area, debris fell in several places. Previously, there was also an explosion in the Desnyan district. The attack on the capital continues. Do not leave shelters during an air raid!”

We’ll bring you more news as it breaks.

Here are the other key recent developments:

The Black Sea grain deal has been extended for two more months, in what the UN secretary general, Ant?nio Guterres, hailed as “good news for the world”. It comes a day before Russia might have quit the pact over obstacles to its grain and fertiliser exports.

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, told a top Chinese envoy at talks in Kyiv on Wednesday that Ukraine would not accept any proposals to end the war that involved losing territory or freezing the conflict, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said. Li Hui, China’s special representative for Eurasian affairs and former ambassador to Russia, visited Ukraine on 16-17 May.

China has notified several foreign missions in Beijing not to display “politicised propaganda” on their buildings, diplomats have told Reuters, adding the request appeared aimed at Ukrainian flags flown since Russia’s invasion.

The EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has asked EU governments to add EUR3.5bn (US$3.85bn) to the European Peace Facility (EPF), a fund used to finance military aid for Ukraine, EU sources have said. The EPF has already allocated EUR4.6bn in military aid for Ukraine.

Hungary, though, said it would block the next tranche of EU military support and any new sanctions against Russia unless Ukraine removes Hungarian bank OTP from its list of war sponsors.

Britain can support Ukraine’s military by enabling other countries that wish to supply fighter jets and other military equipment to do so, the British defence minister has said. “What we can obviously contribute is training and support, again, within limits, because we don’t have F16 pilots,” Ben Wallace said at a press conference in Berlin with his German counterpart when asked about international plans to send jets to Ukraine.

The Dutch foreign minister said there was no progress to report in international talks on the possible delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. “We haven’t reached a solution yet,” Wopke Hoekstra said on Wednesday in response to questions about earlier announced talks of the Dutch with the UK, Denmark, Belgium and other partners.

The German government is looking into mechanisms to secure war damages for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including the possibility of using Russian assets, a government spokesperson said. The chancellor, Olaf Scholz, was among European leaders who agreed to set up a register of damages during a meeting in Reykjavik, Reuters reported.

Belarus, one of Russia’s closest allies, has partially restored controls on their border, Belarusian foreign minister Sergei Aleinik said on Wednesday. This is the first time in 28 years there have been checks at the 770-mile border, AP reported. According to Aleinik, it is to avoid the entry of third-country nationals into Belarus, ahead of the implementation of an intergovernmental agreement on the mutual recognition of visas.

The number of Kazakhs who believe neighbouring Russia may invade the former Soviet republic has doubled over the past six months, an opinion poll by Kazakh researchers showed on Wednesday. The central Asian country of 20 million has close ties with Moscow but has maintained neutrality in the Ukrainian conflict, refusing to recognise Russia’s annexations.

Ukraine denied on Wednesday that a Russian hypersonic missile had destroyed a US-made Patriot missile defence system during an airstrike on Kyiv.Two US officials said a Patriot system had probably been damaged but did not appear to have been destroyed.

The Ukrainian military spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi has claimed Ukrainians have made new advances in Bakhmut. Reuters quotes Cherevatyi saying: “We are successfully conducting a defensive operation, counterattacking and during this day our units have penetrated up to 500 metres in some parts of the Bakhmut front.”