Multiple casualties reported as Russian onslaught of Ukraine continues for 3rd consecutive evening
Russia claims the attacks are in retaliation for a strike on a vital bridge in Crimea
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Russian forces continued to blast away at targets throughout Ukraine for the third night in a row, causing multiple casualties.
Moscow's targeting of Ukraine's important Black Sea region caused at least two deaths in the port city of Odesa, according to a report from The Associated Press.
The attacks come just days after Russia pulled out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which allowed Ukrainian grain exports to reach countries that face the threat of hunger.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}According to Odesa Gov. Oleh Kiper, Ukrainian forces were able to shoot down 12 Iranian-made Shahed drones and two Kalibr missiles during the latest round of attacks, but noted air defense failed to shoot down some X-22 and Onyx missiles.
RUSSIA LAUNCHES 'TRULY MASSIVE ATTACK' ON UKRAINIAN GRAIN FACILITIES AFTER PULLING OUT OF SEA DEAL
Fire burning after third consecutive night of Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure. (STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE OF UKRAINE / Reuters)
The Kremlin has classified the attacks as "retribution" for a strike on a vital bridge linking Russian-controlled Crimea to the mainland earlier this week. Russian officials have blamed the attack on Ukraine, while Ukrainian officials have hinted its forces were responsible for the strike but stopped short of taking full credit.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Russian officials say the attacks have targeted "production shops and storage sites for unmanned boats" in Odesa, which have been blamed as responsible for the attack on the bridge in Crimea. Russian forces also claimed to have destroyed Ukrainian fuel infrastructure facilities and ammunition depots in the region.
The attacks came after the previous night's strikes targeted Ukrainian grain and oil terminals, an act condemned by European Union Foreign Affairs Chief Josep Borrell.
"More than 60,000 tons of grain has been burned," Borrell said. "So not only they withdraw from the grain agreement … but they are burning the grain."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}US TO SEND UKRAINE ANOTHER $1.3 BILLION IN MILITARY AID: REUTERS
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has also condemned Russian action in recent days, arguing that many people depend on Ukrainian grain exports.
"The fact that the Russian president has canceled the grain agreement and is now bombing the port of Odesa is not only another attack on Ukraine but an attack ... on the poorest people in the world," Baerbock said. "Hundreds of thousands of people, not to say millions, urgently need grain from Ukraine."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fire burning after third consecutive night of Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure. (STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE OF UKRAINE / Reuters)
On Thursday, the U.S. State Department announced new sanctions against various Russian individual and entities designed to "degrade Russia’s current and future military capabilities, reduce Russia’s revenue by targeting its future energy projects, and curb sanctions evasion by targeting those who help Russia procure sensitive material."
The attacks also come as mercenaries from Russian military company Wagner Group have begun launching joint drills with the Belarusian military after the group's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was exiled to the country following an apparent failed coup attempt against Russian President Vladimir Putin last month, according to The Associated Press.
The Wagner chief has vowed to beef up Belarusian security, causing tension among bordering NATO countries that are skeptical of the Wagner presence in Belarus.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The repositioning of the Wagner Group was part of Putin’s plan to open the second front in Belarus, which is now in possession of tactical nuclear weapons," Rebekah Koffler, an author and former DIA intelligence officer, told Fox News Digital. "Putin -- under the guise of the so-called 'Prigozhin coup' -- placed Wagner, his best fighting force, in a much more threatening position: within striking distance of both Kyiv, Ukraine and NATO’s border - Latvia, Lithuania."
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company. (Prigozhin Press Service via AP)
However, Prigozhin has claimed his forces have no plans of reentering Ukraine any time soon, calling the condition of the Russian front lines in the country a "disgrace" amid friction with Russian Defense Ministry leaders, according to a report from USA Today Thursday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The mercenary group leader, who commands some of Russia's most capable forces, said his fighters will remain in Belarus and focus on training the country's troops.
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"We fought with dignity. We did a lot for Russia," Prigozhin said. "What is happening now on the front is a disgrace."