Waves of Russian missile and drone strikes have killed no less than 15 folks and injured 116 others, with a lot of the casualties in Kyiv, Ukrainian officers have reported.
The large aerial assault in a single day into Tuesday struck 27 areas within the Ukrainian capital, damaging residential buildings and significant infrastructure, in accordance with Inside Minister Ihor Klymenko.
Ukrainian officers have been fast to name for worldwide consideration on the assaults as Kyiv pushes diplomatic efforts to lift stress on Moscow to agree a ceasefire.
“As we speak, the enemy spared neither drones nor missiles,” Klymenko mentioned, describing the assault as one of many largest in opposition to Kyiv since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of the nation in February 2022.
Thirty flats have been destroyed in a single residential block, and emergency providers have been looking out by way of the rubble for potential survivors, Klymenko added.
Individuals have been injured in Kyiv’s Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi districts, and fires broke out in two different elements of town, in accordance with Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
‘Complete disrespect’
Klitschko additionally famous {that a} United States citizen died from shrapnel wounds.
The Russian strikes, which lasted all through the evening, got here as world leaders met in Canada for the Group of Seven (G7) summit.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is because of attend the talks on Tuesday.
Ukrainian Minister of International Affairs Andrii Sybiha advised the “huge and brutal strike” in opposition to Kyiv was intentionally timed, particularly portray it as an insult to US President Donald Trump.
“Putin does this on objective, simply in the course of the G7 summit. He sends a sign of whole disrespect to america and different companions who’ve referred to as for an finish to the killing,” he wrote on social media.
Zelenskyy is searching for to steer Trump to prolong assist to Ukraine and put extra stress on Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree a ceasefire.
Sybiha advised the Russian president wished to make G7 leaders “seem weak”.
“Solely robust steps and actual stress on Moscow can show him improper,” the diplomat added.
Zelenskyy referred to as the in a single day strikes “one of the vital horrific assaults” carried out by Moscow and declared that Putin “does this solely as a result of he can afford to proceed the conflict”.
Little progress
Pressed by Trump, Russia and Ukraine have held two rounds of direct talks over a truce however have made little progress apart from agreeing prisoner exchanges and the return of our bodies.
Within the meantime, Russia has elevated its bombardments since a daring operation by Ukraine deep inside Russia on June 1 destroyed a lot of Moscow’s heavy bomber fleet.
In its newest assaults, Russia used 175 drones and greater than 14 cruise missiles, Kyiv’s authorities mentioned on Telegram.
Officers in Odesa mentioned 13 folks had been injured in additional assaults on the Black Sea port metropolis.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence mentioned on Tuesday that its air defence items had intercepted and destroyed 147 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory.
Whereas Ukraine is urgent for assist from the West to assist it preserve its air defences, Russia is suspected of sourcing arms from China, Iran and North Korea.
Reflecting Moscow’s rising ties with Pyongyang, Putin’s prime safety adviser, Sergei Shoigu, was reported by Russian state media to have arrived within the North Korean capital on Tuesday for talks with chief Kim Jong Un.
North Korea is suspected of supplying Russia with ballistic missiles, antitank rockets and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition whereas hundreds of its troopers are reported to have died throughout operations to oust occupying Ukrainian troops from Russia’s border area of Kursk.
It’s the second time that Shoigu has visited North Korea in lower than two weeks, and it’s seen as an indication that Moscow and Pyongyang are persevering with to deepen their alliance. Kim and Putin signed a strategic partnership treaty final 12 months, together with a mutual defence pact.
