Russia’s plan in its ongoing all-out war on Ukraine is to take Odesa and continue to Moldova and Romania, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told southeastern European leaders at a summit in the Black Sea port city on Wednesday.
“Russia’s war plans target this region, Odesa. Then they are targeting the borders with Moldova and Romania. Of course, we need protection now. But above all, we need long-term guarantees that these can never happen again,” he emphasised.
The summit, attended by Ukraine, Romania, the Republic of Moldova, Serbia, Albania, Greece, Montenegro, Croatia and Slovenia, brought together countries, some of which have already been targeted by Moscow’s hybrid warfare.
Moldova’s President Maia Sandu has warned of the dangers of hybrid warfare aimed at influencing the country’s parliamentary elections scheduled for this fall.
“We do learn everyday by new attempts and new ways through which Russia tries to interfere with our internal political processes, democratic processes,” Sandu said.
“It is going to be tough, but we do want Moldovans to decide for Moldova at the parliamentary elections, and not the Kremlin.”
Through its actions, the Kremlin is threatening peace across the continent, while sabotaging efforts to reach a lasting peace in Ukraine, participants pointed out.
“Russia constantly rejects any constructive initiative and strives to undermine the path to peace,” Romanian President Nicușor Dan, who was on his first official visit to Ukraine after winning the dramatic elections in May, said at the summit.
“Russia proposes unreasonable demands, knowing that they cannot be accepted. The only language Russia understands is the language of force and we must do our utmost to help Ukraine negotiate from a position of strength.”
Both Dan and Sandu have recently been targeted by disinformation campaigns on pro-Russian Telegram channels, as revealed by Euronews and Euroverify.
Ruins and ashes
Meanwhile, Odesa was again in the Russian forces’ crosshairs in the run-up to the summit.
Euronews Romania journalists have visited the Black Sea port city districts destroyed by Moscow’s massive bombing in recent days. The extent of the destruction is significant: buildings in ruins, burned cars and people who no longer have a home.
Every night, people are woken up by airstrikes and the long sound of sirens. The most terrifying, people say, is the noise of drones or missiles overhead.
Kateryna, 32, witnessed the bombings in recent nights. The apartment she lives in, together with her mother, was hit by drones launched by the Russians. Everything was reduced to ashes.
“This is the first time our home was bombed. My mother was sleeping in my room, and when the first Shahed drone came, she ran away and hid in the basement. The first strike was right in the room she ran from,” Kateryna told Euronews.
Earlier this week, at least two people died and 9 were injured in a missile and drone attack that also struck a maternity hospital and another medical facility, and the city’s film studio and zoo.
Odesa is of strategic importance to Ukraine, serving as one of the primary logistical channels for both the export and import of goods needed by the country, which has been affected by Russia’s ongoing full-scale aggression.
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