Four killed in Russian strike on Kyiv region as war in Iran halts peace talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the 30-day US waiver on Russian oil sanctions amid the Iran war is ‘not the right decision’.
A combined missile and drone attack on the Kyiv region has killed at least four people and wounded 15, regional officials have said.
Three of those injured in the attack overnight into Saturday are in a critical condition, with two undergoing surgery, regional administration chief Mykola Kalashnyk said.
The attack hit four districts of the Ukrainian capital, damaging residential buildings, educational institutions, enterprises and critical infrastructure, he added in a social media post.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the main target was “the energy infrastructure of the Kyiv region”. He said Russia launched around 430 drones of various types during the night, as well as 68 missiles.
Russia’s defence ministry said the night-time strikes targeted energy and industrial facilities serving Ukraine’s armed forces, as well as military airfields.
The strikes came days after the US postponed peace talks between Russia and Ukraine scheduled for this week, citing the war in the Middle East.
As US and Israeli missiles and bombs rain down on Iran, Russia has responded with words of indignation but no action to support its ally.
Moscow’s failure to help another ally, after the 2024 ousting of former Syrian ruler Bashar Assad and January’s US arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, highlighted the limits of its influence – but the Kremlin expects to reap benefits from the Iran war.
Russia is already profiting from a surge in global energy prices, and could hope the war will detract attention from its own operations in Ukraine and deplete Western arsenals.
Mr Zelensky on Saturday called on Kyiv’s Western partners to pay “100% attention” to the need to boost the production of air defence missiles.
“Russia will try to exploit the war in the Middle East to cause even greater destruction here in Europe, in Ukraine,” he said in a post on social media.
“We must be fully aware of the real level of the threat and prepare accordingly, namely: in Europe, we need to develop the production of air defence missiles – especially those capable of countering ballistic threats – as well as all other systems necessary to truly protect lives.”
Kyiv is also awaiting White House approval for a major drone production agreement proposed by Ukraine last year, Mr Zelensky had said on Thursday, as countries scramble to modernise their air defences after the Iran war exposed shortcomings.
Mr Zelensky has criticised the 30-day US waiver on Russian oil sanctions amid the Iran war, saying it is “not the right decision” and will not help bring a stop to Russia’s now four-year-old invasion of Ukraine.
“This easing alone by the United States could provide Russia with about 10 billion US dollars for the war,” he said.
“This certainly does not help peace.”
Overnight into Saturday, Ukrainian drones hit an oil refinery and port in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, local Russian officials reported.
Krasnodar authorities said three people were hurt in a strike on Port Kavkaz, a port opposite Crimea used to ship liquefied natural gas and grains. A service vessel and pier infrastructure were damaged, they added in a post on Telegram.
Falling drone debris also sparked a fire at the region’s Afipsky oil refinery, authorities said in a separate Telegram post. They said no one was hurt, but did not immediately comment on damage.
Earlier this week, Russian and Ukrainian officials both claimed gains in the conflict, with Ukraine saying it pushed Moscow’s forces back across places on the front line and the Kremlin insisting Russia’s invasion of its neighbour is making progress.
Meanwhile, Russia’s almost daily attacks on Ukrainian civilian areas have continued.
