Jonathan Landay, Pavel Polityuk

KYIV/KHARKIV Ukraine (Reuters – Odesa was left in ruins after Kremlin troops pounded southern Ukrainian ports with missiles on Tuesday. Russian President Vladimir Putin celebrated the victory of the Soviet over Nazi Germany in World War Two.

Putin was not open to any talk of escalation in Ukraine. However, Russian forces continued fighting on Monday with an aggressive push against last Ukrainian troops in the steelworks at ruined Mariupol.

You are fighting for Motherland and its future so no one forgets lessons from World War Two. Putin declared that this was to ensure there’s no room in the world where executioners, Nazis or castigators can be found.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zeleskiy promised that Ukrainians will triumph in his speech Monday.

We are fighting for another victory on the Day of Victory Over Nazism. We know that the road is not easy, but we are certain we will prevail,” stated Zelenskiy.

One person died and five were hurt in Odesa (a major Black Sea port that exports agricultural products), when seven missiles struck a shopping center and a depot. The Ukrainian armed forces reported this on Facebook (NASDAQ).

The scene was captured on video. Firefighters and rescue crews were seen combing through rubble to extinguish the still-smoking wreckage.

Ukraine, which is a significant producer of wheat and maize, has intensified its efforts to find alternate routes or unblock ports.

Charles Michel, the President of European Council, visited Odesa this Monday to urge a global response for Ukraine aid.

According to Shmyhal’s official Twitter account (NYSE:), the missile strike forced Michel and Denys Shmyhal into an underground bomb shelter.

According to local media, officials from Kharkiv stated that four people died in Bogodukhov (northwest of Kharkiv) and many homes were damaged by Russian attack.

Air raid sirens can be heard in some parts of Ukraine’s eastern regions, Luhansk and Kharkiv, as well as Dnipro on Tuesday morning.

The Ukrainian defense ministry stated that Russian troops backed by artillery and tanks had attacked Mariupol’s Azovstal Plant. This plant has been under siege for months, but hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers have remained strong.

Mariupol is situated between Russia’s seized Crimean Peninsula and eastern Ukraine, which are now under control by Russia-backed separatists. Moscow would be able to connect the two cities by taking the city.

‘REVISIONIST DISINFORMATION’

More than 5.5 million Ukrainians have fled their country since Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24, according to the United Nations, which has called it Europe’s fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War Two.

Moscow is not making any gains due to the invasion. The gains it made from it have been minimal and limited beyond the loss of a little territory in the South and marginal gains in East.

U.S. President Joe Biden expressed concern that Putin didn’t have an escape route right now. “I’m working to find out what I can do.”

According to sources, the U.S. Democratic legislators have reached an agreement on a $40 Billion aid package for Ukraine. It includes a huge new weapon package.

In an earlier statement, the White House described Putin’s comments during his Victory Day speech in terms of “revisionist history which took form of disinformation.”

Putin invokes the Soviet victory over World War Two during a special military operation in Ukraine.

This is a false analogy that Western nations use to justify unprovoked aggression.

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace stated, “There cannot be victory day. Only dishonour. And certain defeat in Ukraine.”

The Russian ambassador to Poland was confronted by demonstrators at a memorial ceremony. He was doused with red paint and surrounded. His face was dripping, and his shirt stained by blood, Ambassador Sergei Andreyev said that he was proud of his country and the president.

Living in Kharkiv’s metro station, Ukraine’s mainly Russian-speaking city, Vira Mykhailivna (90), hid her tears in her hands as she held onto her shattered cheeks.

She stated, “I did not believe that this could ever happen,” “This was once an amazing day of celebration.”