On Friday, Russia reiterated that the conflict in Ukraine represents an “existential issue” for the nation, following a significant overnight attack on its neighbor that resulted in the deaths of at least four individuals, which Moscow labeled as a “response” to recent Ukrainian strikes.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated at a press conference, “For us, this is an existential question, concerning our national interests, security, future, and that of our children and our country.”
Fighting continues between both parties, as it appears that peace talks, recently reinitiated by former U.S. President Donald Trump in the past months, have reached a stalemate.
During the night, air raid warnings were issued across various regions of Ukraine, particularly in the west of the country, far from the front lines.
Ksenia, a resident of Kyiv, recounted her experience near a heavily damaged residential building, saying, “We heard a drone approaching, then there was an explosion.”
In Kyiv, updated reports from the Ukrainian emergency services indicated that three rescue workers were killed in the strikes, with another fifty injured, including fourteen paramedics.
President Zelensky posted on social media, stating, “Russia must be held accountable. Since the very first moments of this war, cities and villages have been bombed to destroy lives.”
He added, “Now is the time for America, Europe, and the world to stop this war by putting pressure on Russia.”
In the northwestern city of Lutsk, rescuers retrieved the body of a man from the debris of an eight-story building.
Zelensky pointed out that Russian shelling affected nine regions: Volyn, Lviv, Ternopil, Kyiv, Sumy, Poltava, Cherkasy, Chernihiv, and Khmelnytskyi.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that the country faced assaults involving 407 attack and reconnaissance drones, alongside 45 missiles.
The source added that Ukrainian defenses successfully neutralized 199 drones and 36 missiles, noting that 13 sites were hit by the bombardment, while 19 others suffered damage from falling debris due to interceptions.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement claiming to have targeted Ukrainian military sites “in retaliation” for recent “terrorist” attacks carried out by Kyiv.
Attacks on Russian Airports
In recent days, Russia has vowed to respond to Ukraine’s weekend assault on Russian bombers located thousands of kilometers from its borders.
Less than a week after this incident, the Ukrainian military confirmed on Friday that it had “successfully” struck two more air bases in Russia overnight, located in Saratov and Ryazan, reporting hits on fuel depots.
Moscow also accused Kyiv on Tuesday of being responsible for blasts that affected bridges in border-adjacent regions over the past weekend, derailing a passenger train, a freight train, and a monitoring train, resulting in seven fatalities, asserting that the goal was to undermine peace negotiations between the two nations.