Russian drones, missiles and artillery killed at least 18 civilians in Ukraine and injured more than 100 people in Ukraine, officials said Tuesday, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seeks further Western military aid to ensure the country provides further Western military aid for Russian invasion efforts.
Throughout the war, Russian troops have been relentlessly blowing up civilian areas in Ukraine, which is the fourth year. More than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians were killed, according to the United Nations. Ukraine also launched long-range drones against Russia, attacking residential areas.
Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet with Western leaders on Tuesday to attend the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands. He is eager to lock in additional military support for Ukraine’s struggle against Russia’s larger army, as recent direct peace negotiations have made no progress on possible solutions.
According to analysts, the Biden administration's main military commitment to Ukraine is expected to run out in a few months and is uncertain as to whether U.S. President Donald Trump is willing to offer more.
Russian barrage hit 19 schools and 10 kindergartens
Local officials said Russian ballistic missile attacks on Denipro hit several civilian sites in central Ukrainian cities around noon Tuesday, killing nine people and injuring more than 100 people.
In the nearby town of Samar, two people were killed and 11 injured, Dnipro's regional administration minister Serhii Lysak wrote in a telegram.
According to Denipro Mayor Filatov, the barrage damaged 19 schools, 10 kindergartens, a vocational school, a music school and a social welfare office, and eight medical facilities. One of the explosions destroyed the passenger train’s windows.
Valeriy Mankuta, a construction worker in the Ukrainian capital, told reporters that when he felt an explosion, he was sleeping, woke up in rubble with a huge flat plate over his head. The explosion was one of many overnight as Russia launched another strike in Ukraine.
Russia also shelled residential areas and critical infrastructure in the southern Ukraine's Helsen region, killing four civilians and injuring at least 11 more people, said Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the regional military administration.
Local authorities said in the Sumi area in northeastern Ukraine, a drone attack killed three civilians, including a five-year-old boy, and six others were injured later on Monday.
Officials said there were two 17-year-old girls and a 12-year-old boy.
Ukraine attacks most of the 20 drones were repelled
The Russian Defense Ministry reported Tuesday morning that the Russian Air Force's Defense Force shot down 20 Ukrainian drones overnight. It said there were 14 in the Kursk region bordering Ukraine, while two flew past the Moscow province.
Local Governor Andrei Vorobyov said Tuesday that a drone hit a tower in the outskirts of the Russian capital and fired on its 17th floor. He said a 34-year-old resident suffered an injury to his arm and leg. According to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, two other drones were shot down to Moscow.
Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo, representatives of the Russian Aviation Administration Rosaviatsiya, said air traffic was temporarily suspended in two major Moscow airports to prevent measures.
