Russia destroys Ukraine's top secret intelligence base in Odessa; Moscow talks about the intention to assassinate President Zelensky; British Foreign Secretary mentions troop deployment and training in Ukraine; Poland adds its stance on the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine... are updated news about the situation in Ukraine.
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| Ukraine update: Russia destroys radio and space intelligence facility in Odessa, says target is more important than Mr. Zelensky. (Source: Anews) |
TASS news agency quoted a source from the Russian military as saying that during the attack on Odessa on the night of March 7 and early morning of March 8 (local time), Moscow completely destroyed Ukraine's "Ovidiopol-2" radio and space intelligence facility located in this port city.
The top secret Ukrainian intelligence facility is located near the village of Akkarzha in the Ovidiopol region. During the Soviet era, the facility was responsible for conducting electronic reconnaissance and intercepting information transmitted via satellite communications. After 1991, the facility performed similar tasks for the Ukrainian intelligence service.
In 2020, it was reported that “Ovidiopol-2” was transferred to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
* The assassination of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is not part of Russia's plans to conduct a special military operation. This is the statement of the Deputy Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN Dmitry Poliansky.
Poliansky made the statement while commenting on the Russian attack on the city of Odessa, just as Zelensky was there to meet the Greek Prime Minister. At that time, Greek media reported that the Ukrainian President's convoy was attacked by a Russian missile, but no one was injured.
Later, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Russian Air Force carried out a missile attack on a hangar in the industrial port of Odessa where Ukraine had stored unmanned boats for military strikes. According to Poliansky, for Russia, these unmanned boats were more important targets for destruction than Mr. Zelensky.
* In an interview with the German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung published on March 9, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron declared his opposition to sending Western troops to Ukraine, even for training purposes.
Training missions are best carried out overseas, Mr Cameron said, noting that Britain had trained 60,000 Ukrainian soldiers that way.
According to him, the introduction of foreign troops into Ukraine would create a target for Russia. In addition, he assessed that Ukraine needed more long-range weapons and he was ready to cooperate with Berlin to overcome its reservations about supplying German-made Taurus cruise missiles to Kiev.
Earlier, on February 26, French President Emmanuel Macron caused a stir among his allies when he did not rule out the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine. However, Berlin refused to supply Taurus missiles to Ukraine because of concerns that, with a range of 500 km, the missile could potentially be used to attack targets deep inside Russian territory.
* Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski has just stated that the presence of NATO forces in Ukraine is "not out of the question" , and appreciated the fact that the French President did not rule out this idea.
The statement was made by Foreign Minister Sikorski in a speech to parliament on March 8 to mark the 25th anniversary of Poland's NATO membership, and was also a comment on French President Emmanuel Macron's February statement that the possibility of Western troops being sent to Ukraine could not be ruled out.
Macron's comments prompted an outcry from other leaders, and French officials later sought to clarify his statement and cool the backlash, stressing the need to send a clear signal to Russia - that Moscow cannot win the conflict in Ukraine.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was among European leaders who ruled out sending troops to Ukraine after Macron's statement, insisting that Poland had no plans to send its troops to Ukrainian territory.
However, Foreign Minister Sikorski, although not announcing plans to send Polish troops to Ukraine, spoke in a different tone, saying that the presence of NATO forces in Ukraine "is not something that is not taken into account".
Polish President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Tusk will travel to Washington next week. Poland is hoping to push the US to do more to help Ukraine.
Poland is a member state located along NATO’s eastern flank, with Ukraine bordering its eastern border. Poland has historically been under Russian control and fears that a Russian victory in Ukraine could see it continue to target other countries in what Moscow sees as its sphere of interest.
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