More than 10 killed as Russia and Ukraine trade heavy attacks
Exchange of fire intensifies as war, now in its fifth year, shows no signs of slowing down. At least nine people have been killed in
Exchange of fire intensifies as war, now in its fifth year, shows no signs of slowing down. At least nine people have been killed in Russia and three in Ukraine, according to local officials from each side, as both countries continue to exchange attacks. Veniamin Kondratyev, the governor of Russia’s southern region of Krasnodar, said at least six people were killed and 40 wounded by falling drone debris after a Ukrainian attack on the Black Sea resort city of Gelendzhik on Monday. His statement on Telegram came hours after the Moscow-installed governor of Russian-occupied Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, said three people were killed and two wounded in a Ukrainian attack overnight, without giving further details.
In Ukraine, at least three people were killed in a Russian attack on a gas station in the Dnipropetrovsk region, which has been repeatedly attacked during the war, now in its fifth year. In a post on Telegram, regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said a fire broke out as a result of the attack, damaging the gas station and nearby vehicles. Civilian deaths have increased in recent months, although both sides deny targeting civilians. Also on Monday, Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had captured the settlements of Bilyi Kolodiaz and Uspenivka in the Kharkiv region of eastern Ukraine.
In the latest Ukrainian attack on the Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries, a drone struck a warehouse in the village of Khryastovo in eastern Russia’s Vladimir region. Reporting from Kyiv, Al Jazeera’s Audrey MacAlpine said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Wildberries of playing a key role in Russia’s war efforts. “There have been a number of online investigations from independent watchdogs who found that Wildberries sells things that are referred to as dual-use items, things like used military helmets, personal protective gear, bulletproof vests; things like this [and] fibre optic cables used in drones,” said MacAlpine.
Last week, Zelenskyy met United States President Donald Trump at the White House, describing the meeting as “good”. Zelenskyy is eager for the US to help Ukraine bolster its air defences, an issue discussed during a phone call with US Vice President JD Vance on Friday. However, Trump appears to have since backtracked on his promise to grant Ukraine a licence to manufacture Patriot interceptor missiles.
The BriefWire