Ukraine sees openings as Russia fixed on besieged Mariupol

A file picture of a car burning outside a maternity hospital damaged by shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine, on March 9, 2022. - AP

KYIV, Ukraine (AP): Residents of Ukraine’s besieged southeastern coast awaited possible evacuation Sunday as the country’s president said Russia’s obsession with capturing a key port city had left its forces weakened and created opportunities for his military.

Two loud explosions were heard in Odesa on the Black Sea, and black smoke was seen rising above the city, which is where Ukraine’s navy is headquartered. It is west of Mariupol, a smaller port that has been under attack for almost the entire war and rescuers are desperate to reach.