It is day 560 of the war in Ukraine. Russia launched an attack on the Odesa region of Ukraine overnight, killing one person and causing damage to the city’s port
Russia’s Education Ministry has proposed offering Ukraine war veterans and their children free university preparatory courses
An airline in Russia’s Far East is to end its use of Czech aircraft due to a lack of spare parts.
Novaya-Europe’s news round-up will brief you on the main developments overnight.
One fatality as Russian drones attack Ukraine’s Odesa region, nationwide air raid alert declared in country
A nationwide air raid alert was declared in Ukraine in the early hours of Wednesday as incoming missile strikes were detected. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said that the Ukrainian capital’s air defences were working.
Serhiy Popko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, reported on Wednesday that Russia had launched cruise missiles from aircraft flying over the Saratov region of Russia, adding that ballistic missiles were also likely used.
The city’s air defences successfully downed all missiles preventing any major damage, Popko added.
Source: Ukraine's Staate Emergency Service
Authorities in the country’s Odesa region reported on Wednesday that the Russian military had been attacking the region’s Izmail district on the border with Romania with combat drones for almost three hours. One person was killed in the attack, and the local port infrastructure was damaged, Odessa governor Oleh Kiper reported.
Ukraine’s General Staff reported 40 Russian airstrikes and 51 strikes by multiple launch rocket systems on Ukraine over the past 24 hours.
Russian air defences down Ukrainian drone over Bryansk region
Russia’s air defences downed a Ukrainian drone over the Bryansk region, local governor Alexander Bogomaz reported on Wednesday.
There were no injuries or damage reported. Confirming it had shot down a Ukrainian fixed-wing drone over the Bryansk region at approximately 11:30 PM on Tuesday, Russia’s Defence Ministry labelled the incident “a terrorist attack”.
Russian Education Ministry proposes waiving fees for university pre-study courses fees for Ukraine war veterans
Russia’s Ministry of Education and Science published a draft decree on Tuesday that would make college pre-study courses free of charge for veterans of the war in Ukraine and their children.
Should it be implemented, the changes would come into force in March and would last for the next five years.
The draft also provides free admission fees for other groups such as the children of health professionals who lost their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic and children of Heroes of Russia, Russia’s highest honorary award.
Dmitry Chernyshenko, Russia’s deputy prime minister, announced on Monday that some 8,500 people were admitted to Russian universities this year as part of a quota for Ukraine war veterans and their children.
Czech aircraft withdrawn from service in Kamchatka due to lack of spare parts
An airline in Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka region has mothballed its Czech L-410 passenger aircraft due to a lack of spare parts caused by sanctions, RBC reported on Wednesday, citing Aurora Airlines.
Aurora purchased three L-410 aircraft, made by Czech Aircraft Industries, between 2010 and 2011. As the newest planes in the company’s fleet, they were used to reach five remote settlements in the region.
