Ukraine activated its air defence systems to repel a Russian drone attack on Tuesday, following a barrage of drones and missiles fired by Russia the previous day. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on western allies to provide more air defence support and lift restrictions on using western weapons to strike deep into Russian territory. The attack resulted in at least seven deaths and damage to Ukraine’s energy grid.
Ukrainian officials reported that 127 missiles were launched by Russia, with 102 intercepted, along with 109 drones. The attack caused damage to 15 regions and affected Ukraine’s energy sector. The Ukrainian foreign ministry indicated that a hydropower plant in the Kyiv region was targeted, with videos showing the extent of the damage.
In response, US President Joe Biden condemned the attack as “outrageous”. Among the casualties was at least one death and several injuries in a missile strike on a civilian infrastructure building in central Ukraine. Poland reported a violation of its airspace by a suspected Russian drone during the attacks. Nato member Poland was conducting a search for the drone.
Russia claimed to have struck Ukrainian forces along the front in the Kursk region, while Zelenskiy announced plans to strengthen the direction of the eastern strategic hub of Pokrovsk. Meanwhile, one person died and six others were injured in a fire at an oil refinery in Omsk, with the source of the fire remaining unspecified. Russia was notably absent at a UN meeting in Geneva commemorating the Geneva conventions, which were signed 75 years ago to limit the brutality of war. A Reuters journalist remained in critical condition after a missile struck a hotel in Kramatorsk, with one safety adviser killed in the incident.
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Photo credit www.theguardian.com
