Russia launches 6 cruise missiles from SU-35 fighter jet at Odesa, claims Ukraine

Amid the relentless war in Eastern Europe, Ukraine's Operational Command "South" claimed that Russian forces fired at least six cruise missiles from aircraft that hit Odesa, while one was targetted at the Ukrainian military's command post on May 7. In the latest operational report, it further stated that the missiles were launched from a multi-role Russian SU-35 fighter jet from the Black Sea. The Operational Command further stated that Russian troops have been attacking Ukrainian port cities and the Snake Island near Crimea from crucial naval positions. 

The Ukrainian Operational Command further stated that the country's forces also destroyed two Russian Raptor-class patrol boats using Bayraktar drones in Snake Island, located in the Black Sea. Besides, the troops also badly damaged another boat in the region. "Two Raptor boats were destroyed and another one was damaged. A Tor air defence missile system was also smashed. Snake Island will be either of Ukraine or deserted," Serhiy Bratchuk, spokesperson for the Odesa Regional Military Administration, posted on Telegram, as per Ukrinform. In addition, troops of Air Command "South"  also intercepted and destroyed two Kh-type cruise missiles fired on the Odesa region by an enemy fighter from the Black Sea.

Russia announces ceasefire with Ukraine to evacuate civilians

For the first time, the Russian military has announced a truce with Ukraine, citing civilian evacuations in Mariupol as the reason. However, according to Petro Andriushchenko, Mariupol mayor's advisor, they used this tactic as a military strategy to set up a new position for artillery observing, spotting, and sniper fire to attack the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. The heavily guarded Azovstal steel plant is Ukraine's final stronghold in the embattled port city of Mariupol, which is largely under Russian control.

Nearly 2,000 Ukrainian fighters holed up in the Azovstal steel plant: Russia

Meanwhile, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that more than 300 civilians, including children and women, have been safely evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. In his nightly address on May 7, President Zelenskyy stated that the initial part of the evacuation mission was carried out with the assistance of teams from the International Red Cross and the United Nations. According to Russia's most recent estimate, around 2,000 Ukrainian fighters are holed up in a vast maze of tunnels and bunkers under the Azovstal steel plant. 

Image: AP