Russia and Ukraine report new drone attacks

On the day Zelenskiy visits the Hague tribunal, shelling hits Russian oil refineries, while Moscow forces fire drones, hitting areas of Kiev and a university campus in Odessa. Both Ukraine and Russia said they were targets of attacks on Thursday. ), including two that started fires at Russian oil refineries. The attacks occurred on the same day that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is visiting his European allies seeking further support.

Earlier in the day, Russian forces launched two dozen combat drones into Ukraine, striking a university campus in the Black Sea city of Odessa and attacking the country’s capital Kiev for the third time in just four days.

Moscow has stepped up attacks as Ukraine prepares for a counteroffensive to try to recapture Russian-occupied territories in the south and east. Russian shelling in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine on Wednesday killed at least 23 civilians.

Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said the Russian military was using “kamikaze” drones, which fly towards the target before exploding, in order to weaken Ukraine’s air defenses.

“They know [os drones] they will be destroyed, we are currently destroying 80% of them, that’s how they are exhausting our air defense so much, forcing them to expose their positions,” Ihnat said in a television interview.

In all, the air defenses downed 18 of the 24 “kamikaze” drones launched during Thursday’s attacks, according to Ukrainian officials. There are no reports of casualties.

Of the 15 drones fired at Odessa, 12 were shot down, but three hit a university campus.

A bomb attack in the Donetsk region also damaged a power plant owned by energy company DTEK Energo, the company and Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said.

attacks on Kiev

In Kiev, the city administration said missiles, probably ballistic, were also used in the attack, but that they were shot down along with all the drones over the capital.

Ballistic missiles are more difficult to shoot down, and the downing could indicate that Ukraine used sophisticated Western-supplied air defense systems against them.

Kyiv officials said “enemy aerial objects” were shot down over three districts in the capital’s center and debris fell on about 10 buildings.

“Due to falling debris, parked cars […] and the roads were partially damaged,” said Serhiy Popko, head of the city’s military administration.

According to him, only in May is the third day of attacks against the capital. “Our city has not experienced such an intensity of attacks since the beginning of this year.”

Russian refineries hit

Russia, for its part, said on Thursday that a drone strike on the settlement of Ilsky, in the Krasnodar region in the south of the country, caused a fire at an oil refinery.

Krasnodar governor Veniamin Kondratyev said the flames covered an area of ​​400 square meters but were quickly put out by emergency services.

Shortly thereafter, the governor of Russia’s Rostov region, which also borders Ukraine, said a drone struck a local refinery near the village of Kiselevka, causing an explosion and fire.

On Wednesday, a similar fire at an oil field in the nearby village of Volna spread across 1,200 square meters, with officials also blaming a drone crash.

On the same day, Moscow said it had shot down two drones aimed at President Vladimir Putin’s residence and accused Ukraine of attempting a “terrorist act”. The Kremlin has threatened to retaliate with a harsh response.

Ukraine has denied any involvement and the country’s Western allies have also questioned the allegations. “We don’t attack Putin or Moscow,” Zelensky said during a visit to Finland. “We only defend our villages and towns.”

On Thursday, the Kremlin accused the United States of masterminding the attack on Putin’s residence. “Decisions on such attacks are made not in Kiev, but in Washington,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “Kiev just does what it says.”

Zelensky in The Hague

The attacks come during a visit by the Ukrainian president to his Western allies. This Thursday, Zelenski was at the headquarters of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, the Netherlands.

In March, the court issued an arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin for allegedly expelling children from Ukraine. Russia, which is not a member of the International Criminal Court and refuses its jurisdiction, denies having committed atrocities during its war against Ukraine, which Moscow calls a “special military operation” to “demilitarize” its neighbor.

During his first official trip to the Netherlands, Zelenski was received at the International Criminal Court by the president of the institution, Judge Piotr Hofmanski. The court said the visit lasted less than an hour but did not provide details of what was discussed.

As he left the ICC, the Ukrainian president, dressed in his traditional khakis, greeted a Ukrainian family outside the building as they sang “Slava Ukraini” (Glory to Ukraine).

Zelensky then gave a speech entitled “No peace without justice for Ukraine”, in which he said Putin should be condemned for “his criminal actions”.

“We all want to see a different Vladimir here in The Hague, one who deserves to be sanctioned for his criminal actions here in the capital of international law. I’m sure that will happen when we win,” the Ukrainian leader said.

Also scheduled for this Thursday in The Hague are meetings with the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, and the Belgian prime minister, Alexander De Croo.

Zelensky has visited several foreign capitals since the Russian invasion of his country in February 2022, including London, Paris and Washington.

The Netherlands has been a strong ally of Ukraine in the war. In February, Prime Minister Rutte said he would not rule out any kind of military support for Kiev as long as NATO is not directly involved in the war.

ek (Reuters, AFP)

Source: Terra

Rose

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.