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A combined Russian missile and drone attack in the Kyiv region killed at least four people and wounded 15, a Ukrainian official said Saturday, after the United States postponed Russia-Ukraine talks because of the war with Iran.
The attack hit four regions, destroying residential buildings, educational institutions, businesses and important infrastructure, wrote the head of the regional administration, Mykola Kalashnyk on a social media site. He said three of the injured were in critical condition.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the main target of these strikes is the power infrastructure in the Kyiv region. He said Russia has launched about 430 drones and 68 missiles.
Russia’s Defense Ministry on Saturday said the overnight strikes targeted energy and industrial facilities serving the Ukrainian military, as well as military airfields.
The United States has postponed sponsored talks scheduled for this week between the two sides because of the war in the Middle East.
The Kremlin appears to be taking advantage of the Iran war
As US and Israeli missiles and bombs rain down on Iran, Russia has responded with angry words but no action to support its ally. Moscow’s failure to help another coalition, after the 2024 ouster of former Syrian dictator Bashar Assad and the January arrest in the US of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, highlighted the limits of its influence.
Still, the Kremlin expects to reap benefits from the Iran war.
Russia is already profiting from rising global energy prices, and may hope that the Mideast war will distract Ukraine’s attention, disarm Western weapons and force NATO allies to reduce military support for Kyiv.
Zelenskyy on Saturday asked Kyiv’s Western allies to pay “one hundred percent” attention to the need to improve the production of air defense missiles.
“Russia will try to take advantage of the war in the Middle East to cause great damage here in Europe, in Ukraine,” he said in a social media post.
“We must be fully aware of the true level of the threat and prepare accordingly, that is: in Europe, we need to improve the production of air defense missiles – especially those capable of combating ballistic threats – and all other systems necessary to really protect lives,” he said.
Kyiv is also awaiting White House approval for a major drone production deal that Ukraine proposed last year, Zelenskyy said on Thursday, as countries scramble to modernize their air defenses after the war with Iran exposed their shortcomings.
As Ukraine marks the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Prime Minister Mark Carney is pledging another $2 billion in military aid, including the purchase of armored vehicles. Canada is also imposing new sanctions on several Russian individuals and entities, targeting Russia’s energy sector.
Also on Thursday, Zelenskyy criticized the US’s 30-day lifting of sanctions on Russian oil because of the war in the Middle East, saying it was “not the right decision” and would not help stop Russia’s more than four-year, all-out war in Ukraine.
“This concession by the United States alone would give Russia about $10 billion in war money,” Zelenskyy said. “This is definitely not good for peace.”
Ukraine hits a refinery, a port in Russia
Ukrainian warplanes hit an oil refinery and a port in southern Russia in the Krasnodar region, local Russian officials reported.
Authorities in Krasnodar said three people were injured in the strike at Port Kavkaz, facing Crimea, which is used to transport liquefied natural gas and grain. The ship’s infrastructure and the pier were damaged, officials said, adding that one person was hospitalized.
Falling drone debris also sparked a fire at the Afipsky oil refinery, one of the largest in southern Russia, authorities said in a Telegram post. They said no one was injured, but did not comment on the damage.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Ukraine’s General Staff said the refinery and port were being used to supply Moscow’s military. It added that it was assessing the impact of the strikes.
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Among Afipsky’s refinery products are diesel fuel and natural gas that can be used to make jet fuel or gasoline. It has previously been targeted by Ukrainian drones, including in January and November.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces shot down 87 Ukrainian planes overnight, including 16 over the Krasnodar region and 31 over the nearby Sea of Azov.
The Mayor of Moscow, Sergey Sobyanin, said that since the afternoon, 31 drones have fallen to the ground while approaching the Russian capital on Saturday. Russian aviation authorities have introduced temporary flight restrictions at three Moscow airports: Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky.
Earlier this week, Russian and Ukrainian officials both said progress was being made, with Ukraine saying it had pushed Moscow’s forces back from its front lines and the Kremlin insisting Russia’s offensive against its neighbor was progressing.
