A Russian missile attack on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih has killed at least three people and wounded 25 others, according to local defense council head Oleksandr Vilkul. He stated on Telegram that the attack used a cluster munition warhead, calling it a “barbaric weapon.” A day of mourning has been declared for Wednesday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded by calling for increased international pressure on Moscow to end the war and for faster deliveries of air defense systems. “Every delay in implementing air defense agreements, every delay in supplies to protect Ukraine and Ukrainians is in effect a loss of life,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, Ukraine announced that its forces targeted a railway bridge, a power plant, and other key infrastructure in Russian-occupied Crimea. Both sides have significantly escalated attacks in recent months, with Ukraine also striking Russian refineries and infrastructure using drones.

Ukraine’s drone attacks have led to fuel shortages in Russia, with many regions reporting restrictions on fuel sales and rising oil product prices, raising concerns about the stability of Russia’s economy. On Monday, the Moscow Exchange stock index fell by 5%, reaching its lowest level since March 2023, while the ruble weakened past 75 against the US dollar for the first time since May 6.

The Kremlin dismissed concerns about the ruble’s weakness, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stating that “the stability of the Russian economy, macroeconomic stability, is absolutely ensured.”

Efforts to end the war remain effectively frozen as US President Donald Trump has shifted focus to Iran. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told foreign envoys in Moscow that the Americans appear to be “abandoning any claim to the role of an objective mediator and are instead pursuing a course of escalating sanctions pressure on Russia.”

Source: www.aljazeera.com