Russian attacks on Kyiv area kill 10, Ukraine says
Russian attacks on Kyiv area kill 10, Ukraine says
An apartment building hit during Russian drone and missile strikes in Kyiv. Photo: Reuters
Waves of Russian drones and missiles in and around Kyiv overnight killed 10 people, including one child, lit up the night sky with fires in residential areas and damaged the entrance to a metro station bomb shelter, Ukrainian officials said on Monday.
Rescue workers pulled bodies from the rubble of an apartment block in Kyiv's busy Shevchenkivskyi district. At least nine people died in the district, the interior ministry said.
"There were bricks on me, there was something in my mouth. It was total hell. I woke up in the rubble," said Valeriy Mankuta, who clambered from his window to escape after his building was hit.
At least 34 people including four children were wounded in the attacks on Kyiv, the emergencies service said.
From midnight until almost dawn, the city shook with explosions and rattling machine gun fire from anti-aircraft units aiming at the drones.
Ukraine's air force said it had downed 339 of 352 drones and 15 of 16 missiles launched by Russia in the attack on four Ukrainian regions.
In another missile attack on the Ukrainian Black Sea region of Odesa on Monday, at least two people were killed and 12 wounded, local governor Oleh Kiper said.
Moscow has stepped up drone and missile strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, as talks to end the conflict yielded few results.
Monday's strikes come a day before Nato's annual summit is held in the Hague, while President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited Britain to discuss defence. (Reuters)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Asia Times
2 hours ago
- Asia Times
New South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is playing with dynamite
American political leaders have often likened politics to sports. Former presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have all described politics as a 'contact sport.' Others have echoed the sentiment with lines like: 'Nobody ever went to a ball game to see the umpire.' While phrases may vary, the message is the same: politics – and by extension, national foreign policy – requires taking a clear side. President Lee Jae Myung, like former President Moon Jae-in, has chosen to steer the country's foreign policy through what they term 'strategic ambiguity.' This approach seeks to balance ties between the US and China, maintain engagement with North Korea and avoid formal alignment. In line with that approach, Lee has chosen not to attend the NATO Summit being held on June 24–25, 2025. This stands in stark contrast to former President Park Geun‑hye, who launched the Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative (NAPCI) – a NATO‑supported diplomatic framework aimed at enhancing regional dialogue. Similarly, Yoon Suk Yeol, Lee's immediate predecessor, attended three consecutive NATO summits as part of the Indo-Pacific Four (IP4) – with Japan, Australia, and New Zealand – to reinforce ties amid growing global instability and authoritarian alignment. Lee's decision to skip this year's summit has drawn strong criticism. On June 23, Victor Cha of the Center for Strategic and International Studies called IP4 a 'strong ad hoc coalition' and criticized South Korea's NATO withdrawal. He suggested that leftist forces in the Lee administration had pushed the move, fearing that tough statements on China would come out of the session. As the US operates various small multilateral frameworks to contain China – pursuing both independent and coordinated efforts among them – Cha pointed out that, apart from the Korea-US-Japan cooperation represented by the 'Camp David Agreement,' South Korea is not a member of any security alliances such as the Quad or AUKUS. Because of this, China has long viewed South Korea as the 'weakest link' in the US-led front to contain China. David Maxwell of the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy called the decision a 'strategic mistake,' while Andrew Yeo of the Brookings Institution urged stronger alliance cooperation amid US uncertainty. Experts also warn that skipping the summit weakens South Korea's credibility and defense posture, especially since most NATO members are part of the UN Command. South Korea's ambiguity today echoes Japan's postwar Yoshida doctrine – a strategy of non-involvement in global conflicts, centered on pacifism and total reliance on the US for defense. Prime Minister Yoshida Shigeru, the architect of that policy, used Article 9 of the Japanese constitution to justify non-participation in collective security. This allowed Japan to avoid internal division and the burdens of war, while still enjoying the benefits of belonging to the free world. In a revealing exchange with future Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa, Yoshida once said that the day for Japanese rearmament will come naturally when our livelihood recovers. It may sound devious, but let the Americans handle [our security] until then. It is indeed our heaven-bestowed good fortune that the constitution bans arms. If the Americans complain, the constitution gives us a perfect justification. In John Welfield's An Empire in Eclipse , Foreign Minister Sunao Sonoda summed up (source no. 2) Japan's evasion bluntly: The Americans were always asking us to do this and to do that, take over part of their Far Eastern policies. But all their efforts were sabotaged by one Japanese cabinet after another. That's why Eisaku Sato got the Nobel Prize. He got it for his accumulated achievements in the field of sabotage. I suppose he is the only prime minister ever to have got the Nobel Prize for sabotage. Yet, as Japan modernized and became one of the world's leading economies, Yoshida expressed regret about the foreign policy he had crafted. In his 1963 book Sekai to Nihon , he wrote (source no. 3):'During my many overseas trips, especially my recent trip to Europe and America, I have visited many countries in the free world and met face-to-face with their leaders. I was deeply moved by the sight of these countries having already overcome the pain of war and their leaders striving to contribute to world peace and prosperity under their own responsibility. I have come to feel that Japan, too, should strive to contribute to the free world with its own capabilities and responsibilities. As for Japan's own defense capabilities… for an independent Japan, which is among the first-rank countries in economics, technology, and learning, to continue to be dependent on another country is a deformity of the state. It would be selfish to expect the benefits of being a member of the United Nations, as Japan has done up until now, but refuse to help the United Nations' peacekeeping mechanisms. This is certainly not what we mean by placing importance on the international community. With regard to the above-mentioned constitutional principles and national policies, I myself cannot escape responsibility for the use of the Constitution as a pretext for this way of conducting national policy. As the US wavers in its commitments – at times even threatening to leave NATO altogether – South Korea cannot afford to drift into passive ambiguity. Precisely because US reliability is uncertain, Seoul must strengthen its collective security arrangements with other democracies. South Korea has long benefited from its place in the free world. To help preserve the current international order, it must now demonstrate a willingness to shoulder not just the rewards of prosperity but the burdens of responsibility, as well. Hanjin Lew, a political commentator specializing in East Asian affairs, is a former international spokesman for South Korean conservative parties.
RTHK
5 hours ago
- RTHK
Russian attacks on Kyiv area kill 10, Ukraine says
Russian attacks on Kyiv area kill 10, Ukraine says An apartment building hit during Russian drone and missile strikes in Kyiv. Photo: Reuters Waves of Russian drones and missiles in and around Kyiv overnight killed 10 people, including one child, lit up the night sky with fires in residential areas and damaged the entrance to a metro station bomb shelter, Ukrainian officials said on Monday. Rescue workers pulled bodies from the rubble of an apartment block in Kyiv's busy Shevchenkivskyi district. At least nine people died in the district, the interior ministry said. "There were bricks on me, there was something in my mouth. It was total hell. I woke up in the rubble," said Valeriy Mankuta, who clambered from his window to escape after his building was hit. At least 34 people including four children were wounded in the attacks on Kyiv, the emergencies service said. From midnight until almost dawn, the city shook with explosions and rattling machine gun fire from anti-aircraft units aiming at the drones. Ukraine's air force said it had downed 339 of 352 drones and 15 of 16 missiles launched by Russia in the attack on four Ukrainian regions. In another missile attack on the Ukrainian Black Sea region of Odesa on Monday, at least two people were killed and 12 wounded, local governor Oleh Kiper said. Moscow has stepped up drone and missile strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, as talks to end the conflict yielded few results. Monday's strikes come a day before Nato's annual summit is held in the Hague, while President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited Britain to discuss defence. (Reuters)
RTHK
5 hours ago
- RTHK
EU divided on suspected Israeli rights breaches
EU divided on suspected Israeli rights breaches Top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas says she will discuss with Israel a review that found indications of human rights breaches. Photo: Reuters The European Union's top diplomat said on Monday she would take up concerns over suspected human rights breaches by Israel with its government, as talks in Brussels underscored divisions within the bloc over how to influence Israeli actions in Gaza. Kaja Kallas said her priority was to improve the humanitarian situation in the enclave amid concern in European capitals over Israeli operations there. The EU's diplomatic service said in a report on Friday that there were indications that Israel had breached its human rights obligations under the terms of a pact governing its ties with the bloc. Israel's foreign ministry has rejected the EU report as a "moral and methodological failure". "I will now address the results of the review with Israel," Kallas said at a news conference following a meeting of European foreign ministers. "Our first goal is to change the situation on the ground and help humanitarian aid get in," Kallas said. Kallas said she would revisit the issue in July if there had been no improvement. The report includes a section dedicated to the situation in Gaza, covering issues related to the denial of humanitarian aid, attacks on hospitals and medical facilities, displacement, and a lack of accountability. "It is not intended to punish Israel, but to trigger concrete improvements for the people and the lives of people in Gaza," Kallas said. Under the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which came into force in 2000, the EU and Israel agreed that their relationship "shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles". EU nations were split over how to respond to the report. Spain called for the suspension of the agreement with Israel, while others opposed such a move. "This is the time for action," Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said, calling for an arms embargo and sanctions on individuals who undermine the possibility of a two-state solution. Others, including Germany and Italy, expressed hope the report could help shift Israel's policies. "I think this can be a chance to put further pressure on Israel to allow humanitarian aid to enter," Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said. (Reuters)
