Russian forces have launched another massive missile attack on Kyiv, the third large-scale assault on the Ukrainian capital in less than a week. Early Wednesday, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that the strikes triggered fires in two districts of the city.
So far, two people have been injured, with one requiring hospitalization. Earlier, on Tuesday, a Russian missile strike hit the southern port of Odesa, injuring ten people, according to regional governor Oleh Kiper. Eight were being treated in hospital.
Moscow also launched a large-scale attack on Kyiv on Monday, killing at least 14 people and damaging at least a dozen buildings. Both Russia and Ukraine have recently expanded their use of long-range weapons, including missiles, marking a new front in Moscow’s four-year war. Ukraine has focused its attacks on Russian energy facilities to weaken its war efforts.
Ukraine said Tuesday that its drones attacked a dozen tankers from Russia’s “shadow fleet” over the past two days that were delivering fuel to Moscow-occupied Crimea. Kyiv’s military said they struck eight vessels subject to sanctions in the Sea of Azov, each with a deadweight of about 7,000 metric tonnes. Two more tankers were hit later in the day. The Sea of Azov is a key supply route for Russian forces in Crimea and other occupied parts of southern Ukraine.
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 – in a move unrecognized internationally – eight years before launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Moscow has not publicly commented on this week’s attacks on Ukraine, which also included strikes on electrical substations, radar systems, and missile installations.
The latest exchange of fire comes amid NATO’s annual summit, which began Tuesday. The military alliance’s leaders have gathered in Ankara, Turkey, for the two-day conference, where defense spending and Russia’s war on Ukraine are under discussion. NATO is expected to pledge further military support for Ukraine, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urges the alliance to step up aid for the country’s air defenses following the deadly escalation of Russian attacks on Kyiv.
Zelenskyy – who has renewed his call for Ukraine to be allowed to join the alliance – wrote on social media Tuesday that he had signed new agreements with Estonia, the Netherlands, and Denmark in Ankara. The deals create “new opportunities for joint production, the development of innovative defense technologies, systematic exchange of expertise, and the export of Ukrainian battlefield-proven solutions”, he said. Further agreements are expected with Germany, Norway, Finland, and Canada.
US President Donald Trump is also expected to meet Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the summit Wednesday, having spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of the NATO gathering. Asked about Russia’s war in Ukraine, Trump said he hoped it would be settled “soon”. “I think they both want to make a deal,” Trump said. “It’s too bad it took so long, but I think something’s going to come out.”
Source: www.aljazeera.com