Mutual Air and Drone Strikes Between Russia and Ukraine; Unprecedented Conversation Between US and Russian Defense Ministers

On Wednesday, July 6, Russia and Ukraine reported attacks by the opposing side on targets within their territories. This comes as the defense ministers of the US and Russia held an unprecedented phone conversation on Tuesday. While Ukraine reports damage to infrastructure in Odesa from a Russian airstrike, Russia claims that Ukraine has targeted military sites in the Smolensk region with drone strikes. According to Reuters, the governor of the Odesa region in southern Ukraine stated on Telegram that a nighttime Russian ballistic missile attack hit an administrative building in an industrial area, but no one was harmed. The Russian Ministry of Defense also announced on Wednesday that it had shot down two Ukrainian drones over Smolensk. Vasily Anokhin, the governor of this region, said on Telegram that Ukraine attempted to attack military facilities in the Vyazemsky area, with no casualties or damages reported. Amidst Russia's complaints about the supply of US weapons to Ukrainian forces, the defense ministers of Russia and the US had an unprecedented phone call on Tuesday. The Pentagon announced that Lloyd Austin, the US Secretary of Defense, spoke with Andrei Belousov for the first time since he took over as the Russian Minister of Defense in May, emphasizing the importance of maintaining communication lines amid the ongoing war initiated by Russia against Ukraine. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the two officials discussed the situation surrounding Ukraine, with Belousov referencing the risk of further escalation related to the continuous supply of US weapons to the Ukrainian armed forces. On Monday, Russia summoned the US ambassador to express its objection to what it described as the use of missiles provided by the US that resulted in the deaths of four people during an attack in Crimea. General Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson, told reporters on Monday that Ukraine 'makes its own decisions regarding operations and targeting.' He held Russia responsible for the attack on Ukraine, which has 'resulted in the death and destruction of thousands of innocent Ukrainians.' Source: Report from the English section of Voice of America.