Russia has recently increasingly attacked Kyiv with drones. © Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
Once again, the residents of Kyiv are roused from their sleep by Russian attacks. Although the defenders were able to shoot down the rockets, the hail of debris cost the lives of several people. The overview.
Odessa/Moscow - According to Ukrainian sources, at least three people have been killed and 14 injured in a Russian missile attack on Kyiv. Two children were among the victims of the nightly attack with ground-based cruise missiles, Mayor Vitali Klitschko and the military administration of the Ukrainian capital said on Thursday morning. Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, which has been going on for 463 days, is likely to be the main topic at two international meetings on Thursday.
The cruise missiles were shot down by anti-aircraft defense at around 3 a.m. local time (2 a.m. CEST), the military administration in Kiev said. But the rubble had led to many victims and numerous damages. "In the Dniprovsky and Desnjanski districts, according to the doctors, there are now 14 injured, 9 had to be hospitalized," Klitschko wrote on his Telegram channel.
"It's Children's Day. And the Rashists carry out another attack on our capital and kill. Kill Ukrainian children," the head of Kyiv's military administration, Serhiy Popko, railed on Telegram. The word "rashists" is a combination of "rasha", as Russia is pronounced in English, and fascist. It has been used as a dirty word for the Russian occupiers since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
Zelensky stresses importance of grain exports
During a visit to the port city of Odessa, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of the recently extended grain deal. "The world knows about the fundamental role of maritime grain exports for food security," Zelenskyy said on Wednesday in his evening video address, referring to the agreement with Russia, which was reached under international mediation. "All states with sea access in the world can now see what could threaten their ports and their waters if Russia gets away with the blockade of the Black Sea."
In the course of its war of aggression, which began in February 2022, Russia had blocked the neighboring country's grain exports for months. In the summer of last year, an agreement was concluded between the two warring parties under the mediation of the United Nations and Turkey, whereupon Ukrainian grain was shipped again. Most recently, the agreement was extended for another two months in mid-May - combined with Moscow's demand to facilitate its own exports.
U.S. pledges more multimillion-dollar military aid to Ukraine
The U.S. government is providing Ukraine with further military aid to defend against Russia's war of aggression. The US Department of Defense announced another military package worth around 300 million US dollars (around 281 million euros). This includes ammunition for various weapons systems that the US has already delivered to Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman accuses West of "Russophobia"
After drone attacks on Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Germany and other Western states of Russophobic reactions. "You can feed Russophobia and they (the European states) feed Russophobia," Peskov said on Russian state television. He was responding to statements by German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit.
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However, Hebestreit had not explicitly commented on the drone incidents in Moscow. Instead, earlier in the day, when asked how he evaluated attacks on the Russian heartland, he said: "Basically, it is the case that international law provides that a country defends itself." The defense against the attack of the Russian Armed Forces on Ukraine is legitimate. "However, the Chancellor has repeatedly made it clear that as far as the use of German weapons is concerned, they are there to defend Ukrainian territory."
On Tuesday, the Russian military said it had destroyed a total of eight drones flying towards Moscow. Several buildings were slightly damaged. Russia blames Ukraine, against which it has been waging war for more than 15 months, for the incident. The attacked country denied the allegations. In Ukraine, on the other hand, heavy drone fire - often with deaths and injuries - is part of everyday life.
What will be important on Thursday
The foreign ministers of the NATO states want to press ahead with preparations for the next alliance summit at consultations in the Norwegian capital Oslo on Thursday. Among other things, it will be about how to deal with Ukraine's desire to join.
A European summit in the ex-Soviet republic of Moldova, which borders Ukraine, is also likely to focus in particular on Russia's war of aggression. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other heads of state and government from almost 50 countries are expected there for the second summit of the new European Political Community (UPC).
In the combat zone in Ukraine, the focus on Thursday is also likely to be on the east: According to his own statements, the head of the Russian private army Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, wants to leave the city of Bakhmut, which has been conquered but not abandoned by Ukraine, to the control of the regular Russian army from now on after extremely costly battles. Dpa
