Kyiv, Ukraine: The conflict between Ukraine and Russia has intensified, with both sides suffering casualties. In Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, a Russian guided-bomb attack hit the village of Cherkaska Lozova on Saturday, killing two women and injuring 10 others, including children, according to local officials. The bombs damaged residential buildings, with one woman found in the rubble and another dying in an ambulance, said Governor Oleh Syniehubov.
The Kharkiv region, bordering Russia, has faced frequent shelling throughout the conflict. In a separate incident, Ukrainian air defenses shot down 24 of 52 Russian drones launched overnight across eight regions. Although no injuries were reported from these drone attacks, air alerts caused residents to seek cover.
In Kyiv, all drones targeting the city were intercepted during a four-hour air alert. This marked the fourth drone attack on Kyiv this week. Ukrainian air defenses also downed drones in Poltava, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, Chernihiv, Sumy, and Mykolayiv regions. In Cherkasy, drone debris damaged several private homes.
On Friday, another Russian bomb attack in Kharkiv struck a playground and a residential building, killing six people, including a 14-year-old girl. Governor Syniehubov later reported that 96 people were injured, with 20 in serious condition. Ukrainian officials said Russia used glide bombs in the attack, which are difficult to intercept and cause significant destruction.
In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for Western allies to lift restrictions on the use of long-range Western weapons against Russian military bases. “This strike would not have happened if our defense forces had the ability to destroy Russian military aircraft where they are based,” Zelenskyy stated on Telegram.
Meanwhile, in Washington, top Ukrainian officials met with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to discuss the need to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses. The Ukrainian delegation stressed the importance of receiving promised weapons from defense packages as soon as possible.
On the Russian side, officials reported that Ukraine fired cluster munitions on the city of Belgorod, killing five people and wounding 37 others. European Union defense ministers, meeting in Brussels, urged Ukraine’s allies to expedite the delivery of promised weapons systems. Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur highlighted the need for more weapons systems, while Netherlands Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said his country would soon deliver Patriot missile defense systems to Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, attended the EU defense ministers meeting and urged member states to pressure Britain and the United States to remove restrictions on the use of donated long-range weapons. Both countries have limited Ukraine’s use of these weapons to avoid escalating the conflict with Russia.
Fighting continues across Ukraine, including in Sumy, where a Russian strike on Friday killed two women and injured eight others. The attack caused a fire at a factory producing packaging for baby food and household products. Local authorities urged residents to stay indoors as the fire was brought under control.
GLOBAL POLITICS | The delay in Iran’s retaliation against Israel is reassuring
