Russian Attacks Kill 26 Civilians in Ukraine as Zelenskyy Seeks More Western Help
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian drones, missiles and artillery killed at least 26 civilians and injured more than 200 others in Ukraine, officials said Tuesday, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sought guarantees at a NATO summit of further Western help to repel Moscow's invasion.
Russian forces have relentlessly struck civilian areas throughout the 3-year-old war. More than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed, according to the United Nations. Ukraine has also launched long-range drones against Russia, hitting residential areas.
Zelenskyy joined Western leaders at a NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, and is keen to lock in additional military support for Ukraine, as recent direct peace talks have made no progress on a settlement.
Key U.S. military commitments to Ukraine left over from the Biden administration are expected to run out within months, according to analysts, and there is uncertainty over whether U.S. President Donald Trump is willing to provide more.
A Russian ballistic missile attack on Dnipro hit multiple civilian sites in the central Ukrainian city around midday Tuesday, killing 17 people and injuring more than 200 others, officials said. 'The number of casualties is constantly being updated,' Dnipro's regional administration head Serhii Lysak wrote on Telegram.
In the nearby town of Samar, an attack killed two people and injured 14, he said.
The barrage damaged 19 schools, 10 kindergartens, a vocational school, a music school and a social welfare office, as well as eight medical facilities, according to Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov. Schools are closed for the summer break.
One of the blasts blew out the windows of a passenger train carrying about 500 people. Filatov declared Wednesday to be an official day of mourning.
In a post on Telegram, Zelenskyy said Russia needs foreign components to build its ballistic missiles and he urged countries to crack down on Moscow's 'schemes' to obtain them. 'Sanctions against Russia must also be significantly strengthened,' he said.
Russia also shelled residential neighborhoods and critical infrastructure across Ukraine's southern Kherson region, killing four civilians and wounding at least 11 others, according to Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the regional military administration.
In the Sumy region of northeastern Ukraine, a drone attack late Monday killed three civilians, including a 5-year-old boy, and injured six others, local authorities said. Among the injured were two 17-year-old girls and a 12-year-old boy, according to officials.
Russian air defense forces overnight shot down 20 Ukrainian drones, the Russian Defense Ministry reported Tuesday. It said 14 were downed over the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine, while two had been flying over the Moscow region.
One drone slammed into a tower block on the outskirts of the Russian capital, sparking a fire on its 17th floor, local Gov. Andrei Vorobyov said. He said a 34-year-old resident suffered shrapnel wounds to his arm and leg. Two other drones were shot down while approaching Moscow, according to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.
Air traffic was briefly halted as a precaution at two major Moscow airports, Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo, according to a representative of Russia's aviation authority Rosaviatsiya.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Today
2 hours ago
- Japan Today
Explosive kills 7 Israeli soldiers in Gaza inside an armored vehicle, military says
This is a locator map of Israel and the Palestinian Territories. (AP Photo) By JULIA FRANKEL Seven Israeli soldiers were killed Tuesday in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis when their armored vehicle was struck by an explosive, an Israeli military official said Wednesday. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with military regulations, said six of the soldiers' names had been cleared for publication, while one was still being kept confidential. Also in the area of Khan Younis area, one soldier was seriously wounded Tuesday by weapons fire, the military said. Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing, said on its Telegram channel it had ambushed Israeli soldiers taking cover inside a residential building in southern Gaza Strip. Some of the soldiers were killed and other injured after they were targeted by a Yassin 105 missile and another missile south Khan Younis, Hamas said. Al-Qassam fighters then targeted the building with machine guns. It was not immediately clear whether the two incidents were the same. Gaza's Health Ministry said Tuesday that Israel's 21-month military operation in Gaza has killed 56,077 people. The war was sparked by Hamas' surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed around 1,200 people dead, mostly civilians, and took 251 others hostage. Many hostages have been released by ceasefire or other agreements. The death toll is by far the highest in any round of Israeli-Palestinian fighting. The ministry said the dead include 5,759 who have been killed since Israel resumed fighting on March 18, shattering a two-month ceasefire. The ministry doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants but says more than half of the dead were women and children. Israel says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas, which operates in heavily populated areas. Israel says over 20,000 Hamas militants have been killed, though it has provided no evidence to support that claim. Hamas has not commented on its casualties. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Japan Times
2 hours ago
- Japan Times
U.K. to reintroduce nuclear weapon-capable aircraft under NATO
Britain will reintroduce fighter jets capable of carrying atomic weapons to support NATO's nuclear mission, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office said, as he prepares for a NATO summit Wednesday. The country will purchase 12 nuclear weapon-capable F-35A fighters, expanding the country's deterrence arsenal, which is currently limited to submarine-launched missiles. "These F35 dual-capable aircraft will herald a new era for our world-leading Royal Air Force and deter hostile threats that threaten the U.K. and our Allies," Starmer said in a statement on Tuesday. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte was quoted in the statement as saying: "I strongly welcome today's announcement," calling it "yet another robust British contribution to NATO." Downing Street described it as the "biggest strengthening of the U.K.'s nuclear posture in a generation", adding that Starmer would announce the plan at the summit on Wednesday. Since the end of the Cold War, British nuclear deterrence within the Atlantic alliance was provided solely by missiles aboard Royal Navy submarines. Heloise Fayet, a nuclear specialist at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI), said the announcement illustrates "the continued re-nuclearization of Europe, the renewed need for nuclear weapons, and the strengthening of NATO's deterrence, in the face of an adversary, Russia." The F-35A, manufactured by U.S. company Lockheed Martin, is a variant of the F-35B already used by the United Kingdom, but which can carry nuclear warheads in addition to conventional weapons. The acquisition has been a long-standing request from the Royal Air Force. The planes are expected to be stationed at Marham Air Force Base in eastern England. 'New risks' Leaders from NATO countries are gathering in The Hague this week where they are expected to pledge that they will spend 5% of GDP on defense by 2035, under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump. The U.K. had already committed on Monday that it would meet the spending target. London said in February that it would hike its defense budget to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 and 3% after 2029. British Defense Secretary John Healey warned on Tuesday that the U.K. faced "new nuclear risks, with other states increasing, modernizing and diversifying their nuclear arsenals." Seven NATO members, including the U.S., Germany and Italy, currently have dual-capable aircraft stored on European soil that can carry American B61 nuclear warheads — the same type that Britain is expected to use. In June, Britain announced that it would build up to 12 new attack submarines and six munitions factories as part of efforts to rearm the country in the face of "threats," particularly from Russia. The dozen nuclear-powered subs will be equipped with conventional weapons and form part of the AUKUS military alliance between the U.K., the U.S. and Australia. Starmer also confirmed that London would spend £15 billion ($20.4 billion) on its nuclear warhead program.
The Mainichi
2 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Japan conducts first missile test on its own territory as part of military buildup to deter China
TOKYO (AP) -- Japan's military test-fired a missile on Japanese territory for the first time Tuesday, as the country accelerates its military buildup to deter China. The Type 88 surface-to-ship, short-range missile was tested at the Shizunai Anti-Air Firing Range on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido. The Ground Self-Defense Force's 1st Artillery Brigade used a training missile to target a boat with no crew about 40 kilometers (24 miles) off the island's southern coast. Due to space limitations and safety concerns, Japan conducted past missile tests in the United States, a treaty ally, and Australia, a top Japanese defense partner where vast training grounds are available. The military said the test was successful. It plans another through Sunday. Dozens of protesters stood outside a neighboring army camp, saying missile tests only escalates tension in Asia and risks for Japan to be involved in possible conflicts. Tuesday's first domestic missile test underscores Japan's push toward a more self-sufficient military and its acquisition of strike-back capabilities as a deterrence to China's increasingly assertive naval activity in regional seas. Japan is also concerned about growing joint military exercises around Japanese coasts between China and Russia. Japan and Russia, a northern neighbor to Hokkaido, have territorial disputes. Japan, under its post-World War II pacifist constitution, used to limit the use of force for self-defense only, but made a major break from that policy in 2022 when it adopted a five-year security strategy that names China as its biggest strategic challenge and calls for a closer Japan-U.S. alliance. Japan is currently working to deploy long-range cruise missiles, including Tomahawks purchased from the U.S., beginning later this year. Japan is also developing Type 12 surface-to-ship missiles with a range of about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), 10 times that of a Type 88. The truck-mounted Type 88 guided missile, developed by Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, has a range of about 100 kilometers (62 miles). Japan is also preparing to build a missile-firing range on uninhabited Minamitorishima, the country's easternmost island in the western Pacific, an area where two Chinese aircraft carriers were seen operating together for the first time earlier this month.
