The United States on July 19 announced a $1.3 billion military aid package for Ukraine that includes advanced antiaircraft missile systems and other equipment after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Russia of launching a "deliberate" attack on grain infrastructure at the Black Sea port of Odesa.
The aid package is part of U.S. efforts to meet "Ukraine's pressing requirements" although it will not be part of a drawdown from U.S. stocks and will therefore not arrive soon on the battlefield.
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Zelenskiy said the new aid "will help save Ukrainian lives and move closer to our common victory" and expressed gratitude for "the unwavering support of the friendly American people."
The aid includes four additional national advanced antiaircraft missile systems (NASAMS) that Ukraine has used to defend its cities and infrastructure against Russian missile attacks.
Russia's Defense Ministry said strikes on Odesa were retaliation against facilities where it claimed Ukraine was building seaborne drones of the type that Moscow says damaged a bridge in the annexed region of Crimea.
But Zelenskiy said on his Telegram channel that the Russian strikes had "deliberately" targeted sites in the Odesa region that are used to export grain just hours after Russia refused to extend a UN-sponsored deal that had allowed shipments of Ukrainian grain abroad.
"About a million tons of food is stored in the ports that were attacked today. Exactly the volume that should have been delivered to consumer countries in Africa and Asia a long time ago," Zelenskiy said in a video message. "Everyone in the world should be interested in holding Russia accountable for terror," he added.
The port terminal that sustained the most damage contained 60,000 tons of agricultural products intended for shipment to China, he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin complained that Western nations had "completely distorted" the grain deal, but said Russia would immediately return to it if all its conditions were met.
Russian fired more than 60 missiles and drones at southern Ukraine early on July 19. Ukrainian air defense forces destroyed 13 Kalibrs, one Kh-59 missile, and 23 drones, the military said.
SEE ALSO: Ukraine's Counteroffensive Is Going Slowly. Is That A Problem?In addition to hitting grain and oil terminal facilities in Odesa, there were reports that an infrastructure facility was hit in the Zhytomyr region and of shelling in Mykolayiv. Twelve people were injured in the Odesa region and two in the Mykolayiv region, officials said.
The claims could not be independently verified.
The attack on Odesa was the second in as many days after Russia vowed "revenge" following an explosion on the bridge linking Russia with annexed Crimea that killed two people, wounded one teenage girl, and restricted road traffic.
Russia has blamed Ukraine for what it said was "a terrorist attack," and Putin vowed retaliation.
SEE ALSO: From Logistics To Psychology, Effects Of Crimea Bridge Blast Will LingerRussia said on July 19 it would consider cargo ships on the Black Sea destined for Ukraine potential military targets. A Russian Defense Ministry statement said the vessels will be considered to be involved on the side of Ukraine.
Kyiv at the same time urged other countries in the Black Sea region to intervene to assure the safe passage of cargo ships.
In Crimea, earlier on July 19, Moscow-installed Governor Sergei Aksyonov said a fire near a military training ground had prompted the evacuation of some 2,000 people and partially closed the nearby Tavrida Highway.
Aksyonov did not give details about the cause of the fire or potential victims, but Telegram channels linked to Russian security services and Ukrainian media reported that an ammunition depot exploded at the base after an overnight Ukrainian air attack.
Unverified videos circulating on social media show a large fire in the distance and sparks flying from the apparent detonation of ammunition.
A post on Telegram attributed to Kyrylo Budanov, the chief of Ukraine's military intelligence (GUR), claimed that Ukraine was responsible for the attack on the Russian depot. But the GUR military later denied that Budanov had issued the comment.
Spokesman Andriy Yusov said in an interview with broadcaster Suspilne that the comments, carried by several media outlets, "were fake."
Meanwhile, Ukrainian troops forced Russians to retreat from Orikhovo-Vasylyvka, just northwest of Bakhmut, in the eastern region of Donetsk, Andriy Kovalev, a spokesman for the military, said on July 19.
Russia captured Bakhmut in May after one of the longest and bloodiest battles since the beginning of the war in February 2022.
But since the start of their counteroffensive, Ukrainian forces have advanced on the northern and southern flanks of the city.