Russia is testing China's commitment to a "friendship with no limits," Kyiv said on Thursday, shortly after a missile and drone attack launched by Moscow damaged a building at the Chinese consulate in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa.
Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine's defense minister, made the remarks on Twitter after the regional governor of the Odesa region, Oleh Kiper, published an image showing minor damage to the building's windows. A spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry later confirmed in a statement that a strike damaged the building's wall surface and windows, adding that no one was injured.
Beijing and Moscow have maintained diplomatic, political and economic ties throughout Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Weeks before the war began, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping famously announced a "friendship with no limits." Beijing maintains that it holds a neutral position on the conflict.
"May 16: russia attacked Kyiv with Kinzhal missiles while Chinese envoy Li Hui was visiting the Ukrainian capital; July 19: russia destroyed 60,000 tons of Ukrainian grain, some of which was supposed to have been exported to the PRC," tweeted Reznikov.
"July 20: the building of the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China, located in the middle of a residential area, was damaged as a result of a russian missile and drone attack on Odesa."
Reznikov added: "A brief chronicle of a friendship with no limits."
Newsweek has contacted the foreign ministries of Russia and China for comment via email.
Russia's bombarded the the city of Odesa with a barrage of strikes on the night of July 18. Ukraine's air force said it had destroyed 37 out of 63 targets in the Odesa region, which included 23 suicide drones and 14 cruise missiles fired at "critical infrastructure and military facilities."
The building at the Chinese consulate located at Nakhimova Lane was caught up in that strike.
A spokesperson for China's foreign ministry said the consulate staff had "long left the premises and no one was hurt."
"China is closely following the developments and staying in touch with the parties concerned. We will take all measures necessary to keep Chinese institutions and nationals safe in Ukraine," the statement said.
Olha Stefanshyna, Ukraine's deputy prime minister overseeing the country's push to join the European Union, previously told Newsweek that the blitz was "revenge" for a strike on the Kerch Strait Bridge on July 18.
The road and rail bridge, built after Russia's annexation of Crimea, was previously damaged in an explosion in October 2022. It is a crucial supply route for Russia's forces.
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About the writer
Isabel van Brugen is a Newsweek Reporter based in Kuala Lumpur. Her focus is reporting on the Russia-Ukraine war. Isabel ... Read more
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