At least five killed in long-range strikes between Russia and Ukraine
Quick Look
- At least five people died in a series of long-range strikes across Ukraine and Russia.
- A Liberian-flagged ship was hit in Odesa, while Ukrainian drone strikes targeted Luhansk, Zaporizhia, and Belgorod.
- Russia also issued a warning to diplomats in Kyiv.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Russia has blockaded Ukraine's Black Sea ports, impacting global food exports. The war is currently in its fifth year.
At least five people have been killed in a series of long-range strikes carried out by Kyiv and Moscow.
Russia attacked a Liberian-flagged ship in Ukraine’s Odesa region, killing one person and injuring three, the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority said on Saturday in a statement on Telegram. Another 12 crew members were safely evacuated from the ship. Three were injured.
Russia has in effect blockaded Ukraine’s Black Sea ports – formerly a key global source of food exports – by attacking civilian vessels carrying grain and steel, dealing a heavy blow to the Ukrainian economy.
Two people were reportedly killed in a Ukrainian strike on the Russia-occupied Luhansk region of Ukraine, according to the Moscow-installed governor.
In the occupied Zaporizhia region, Russian-installed authorities said one person was killed and 10 others injured in a Ukrainian drone attack.
Russian media also reported that one person was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Belgorod region, which sits just across the border from Ukraine.
Elsewhere, a Russian attack on Kyiv’s Northern Bridge injured two people. It is the second bridge Russia has attacked in the Ukrainian capital in the space of two days.
Russia warns diplomats, foreigners
Also on Saturday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry issued another warning to diplomats and foreigners in Ukraine’s capital, urging them to leave the city or risk being harmed.
Many foreign embassies are still operating in Kyiv.
Russia’s all-out war on Ukraine is in its fifth year and shows little sign of slowing down.
Russian battlefield gains have slowed to a near-record low, with Ukrainian counterattacks, including one ongoing push around the town of Lyman in the east, mitigating Russian territorial gains elsewhere.
Russia has increased its attacks on civilian infrastructure in recent months, including with the growing use of jet-powered long-range strike drones, which move faster and are harder to shoot down.
Ukraine has also engaged in significant long-range strikes, including targeting Russian oil infrastructure and military-industrial facilities deep inside Russian territory.
Open Questions
- Will foreign embassies heed the Russian warning to leave Kyiv?
- What is the full extent of damage to the Northern Bridge?
