Russian attacks claim dozens of Ukrainian lives as NATO summit convenes

Russia killed dozens of Ukrainian civilians in less than 48 hours on Monday and Tuesday, according to Ukrainian officials, two of the deadliest days in many months. A five-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl were among the victims of the Russian attacks, launched just as Ukraine’s allies began gathering for a key NATO meeting in the Netherlands.

Ukrainian officials said 15 people were killed in Dnipro on Tuesday after a Russian ballistic missile hit the city, the largest in the country’s south-east, while 9 people were killed in a strike on a Kyiv apartment building on Monday. At least two dozen others were killed in strikes across the country, including in Sumy, Kherson, Donetsk and Odesa regions.

In Dnipro, local officials said the missile caused damage unlike any previous attacks on the city. Mayor Borys Filatov said almost 50 buildings were damaged, including schools, medical facilities, municipal sites and residential buildings. More than 170 people were injured, according to authorities, with around 100 remaining in city hospitals as of Tuesday evening. A passenger train carrying some 500 people was also damaged in the strike.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky was in The Hague for the NATO summit on Tuesday, meeting several European leaders on its sidelines before addressing the Dutch parliament. Zelensky highlighted Russia’s ties to Iran and emphasized that Russia has launched thousands of drones against Ukraine since 2022.

As the world turned its attention to the Middle East, Zelensky was keen to highlight the connection between Iran and Russia. Talks between Russia, Ukraine, and third countries have mostly stalled after Moscow refused to back off its maximalist demands and presented a ceasefire proposal that would essentially amount to Ukraine’s capitulation.

British Defense Secretary John Healy emphasized the importance of not forgetting about Ukraine amidst the focus on the Middle East. Zelensky was in London on Monday, where he met British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as well as King Charles III. Kyiv officials said the attack on the apartment building on Monday killed multiple members of several families.

According to the source: CNN.