A large group of Western mercenaries was targeted and destroyed on Friday by Russian hypersonic Iskander-M missiles in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa, it has been reported by Russian sources.
According to Reuters, the missiles were launched from Crimea and the attack killed 20 people and wounded at least 70, while other reports say that around 100 mercenaries were killed and at least 100 more wounded.
The attack not only targeted the mercenaries but also infrastructure consisting of gas and electric supply lines. Such attacks on infrastructure are carried out on a tit-for-tat basis between Russia and Ukraine, as Ukraine regularly sends Western-made drones targeting infrastructure in Russian territory as well.
According to Ukrainian Telegram channel “Dumskaya,” military personnel had moved into a recreational facility in the area making themselves targets for the Russian missiles. However, mainstream media sources only report that the missiles hit a residential area.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army is still attempting to round up civilians from the streets of Odessa to force them to fight on the front lines. As the war in Ukraine has entered its third year, the Ukrainian army stands in need of a fresh replenishment of troops to continue fighting the Russians, who seem to have an endless supply of their own soldiers.
A grandmother intervenes as conscription officers attempt to drag away yet more men from the streets of Odessa to fight in a war they don't believe in.
Time is ticking for Zelensky. Partisan groups are already forming and will strike back when the time is right. pic.twitter.com/yWUwqvveYQ
— Dean O'Brien (@DeanoBeano1) March 13, 2024
Odessa is of great strategic importance to both NATO and Russia. Russians have feared that NATO is attempting to build a naval base there, which would then thwart Russia’s Black Sea fleet.
Odessa is also the last major coastal city held by Ukraine and is their only outlet to the sea. If Russia can expand its territorial expansion to Odessa, it will be able to block off both strategic naval and economic access through its port.
Furthermore, there is the matter of Transnistria, a breakaway region of Moldova that considers itself Russian and independent which borders Ukraine near Odessa. If Russia can expand to Transnistria, it would be a reunification with Moscow and create a complete, unbroken land corridor with the country.
However, French President Emmanuel Macron has issued saber-rattling statements of late, saying that all options are on the table when it comes to defending Ukraine and Europe from Russia, including sending French troops to the battlefield.
