Russian strike on Kyiv region kills 4 and wounds 15 : NPR
Firefighters put out a fire in a residential area following an attack by Russian missiles and drones on Saturday in Brovary, near kyiv, Ukraine.
Efrem Lukatski/AP
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kyiv, Ukraine — A combined missile and drone attack on the kyiv region killed at least four people and injured at least 15 overnight Saturday, an official said, after the United States postponed talks between Russia and Ukraine due to the war with Iran.
The attack affected four districts, damaging residential buildings, educational institutions, businesses and critical infrastructure, the head of the regional administration, Mykola Kalashnyk, wrote in a post on social media. He said three of the injured were in critical condition.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the main target of the strikes was energy infrastructure in the kyiv region. He said Russia had launched around 430 drones and 68 missiles.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday that the nighttime strikes targeted energy and industrial facilities serving Ukraine’s armed forces, as well as military airfields.
Russia hopes to profit from war in Iran
The United States postponed sponsored talks planned for this week between the two sides due to the war in the Middle East.
As American and Israeli missiles and bombs rained down on Iran, Russia responded with words of outrage but took no action to support its ally. Moscow’s failure to help another ally, after the 2024 ouster of former Syrian leader Bashar Assad and the US arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in January, has exposed the limits of its influence – but the Kremlin hopes to reap the rewards of the war in Iran.
Russia is already profiting from soaring global energy prices and may hope that the war in the Middle East will distract attention from Ukraine, deplete Western arsenals and force NATO allies to reduce their military support for kyiv.
Zelensky on Saturday called on kyiv’s Western partners to pay “one hundred percent attention” to the need to increase production of air defense missiles.
“Russia will try to exploit the war in the Middle East to cause even greater destruction here in Europe, in Ukraine,” he said in a social media post.
Firefighters extinguished a fire in railway workshops on Saturday following an attack by Russian missiles and drones in Brovary, near kyiv, Ukraine.
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“We must be fully aware of the real level of the threat and prepare accordingly, namely: in Europe we must expand the production of air defense missiles, including those capable of countering ballistic threats, as well as all other systems necessary to truly protect lives,” he said.
kyiv is also awaiting White House approval for a major drone production deal proposed by Ukraine last year, Zelenskyy said Thursday, as the countries scramble to modernize their air defenses after the war in Iran exposed their shortcomings.
Also Thursday, Zelensky criticized the 30-day U.S. waiver of Russian oil sanctions over the Middle East war, saying it is “not the right decision” and will not help stop Russia’s more than four-year-old invasion of Ukraine.
“This easing by the United States could provide Russia with about $10 billion for the war,” Zelensky said. “It certainly doesn’t contribute to peace.”
Ukraine strikes refinery and port in southern Russia
Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery and port in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, local Russian officials reported.
Authorities in Krasnodar said three people were injured in a strike at Port Kavkaz, opposite Crimea, used to transport liquefied natural gas and grain. A service vessel and pier infrastructure were damaged, officials said, adding that one person was hospitalized.
Falling drone debris also sparked a fire at the Afipsky oil refinery, one of the largest in southern Russia, authorities said in a message on Telegram. They said no one was injured, but did not immediately comment on the damage.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Ukraine’s General Staff said the refinery and port were used to supply Moscow’s armed forces. He added that he was assessing the impact of the strikes.
Among the products of the Afipsky refinery are diesel fuels and natural gasoline that can be used to make jet fuel or gasoline. It has already been targeted by Ukrainian drones, notably in January and November.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces shot down 87 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 16 over the Krasnodar region and 31 over the nearby Sea of Azov.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 16 drones were shot down Saturday afternoon as they approached the Russian capital.
Earlier this week, Russian and Ukrainian officials both claimed progress on the front line, with Ukraine saying it had pushed back Moscow’s forces on the front line and the Kremlin insisting that Russia’s invasion of its neighbor was progressing.
