A Russian missile slammed into the middle of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine on Saturday, killing no less than 5 individuals and injuring dozens extra, together with 11 kids, Ukrainian officers stated.
The Ukrainian Inside Ministry launched graphic photos of the aftermath of the strike, which it stated occurred at 1 p.m., simply as individuals have been leaving church. They have been celebrating a holy day when the explosion tore by way of the primary sq..
“A Russian missile hit the center of Chernihiv,” President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in a press release. “A sq., a college, and a theater. Russia turned an abnormal Saturday right into a day of ache and loss.”
Mr. Zelensky stated the assault ought to once more remind the world that it wants to face united towards “Russian terror,” including, “For all times to win, Russia should lose this conflict.”
The assault got here hours after the Kremlin stated that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia had traveled to the southern Russian metropolis of Rostov-on-Don to fulfill with navy commanders, in his first publicized go to to the navy hub because it was seized in June in a short-lived insurrection led by the Wagner mercenary chief.
The Kremlin didn’t say when Mr. Putin visited. He met with the chief of the Russian navy, Gen. Valery V. Gerasimov, the Kremlin stated. Basic Gerasimov and Sergei Okay. Shoigu, the Russian protection minister, have been the first targets of criticism from Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the pinnacle of the Wagner personal navy firm, within the lead-up to to an rebellion that plunged the nation into disaster and raised questions on Mr. Putin’s management.
The go to, which appeared to happen at evening, comes as Mr. Putin continues an energetic schedule of public appearances, aiming to challenge a way of authority within the days because the mutiny and amid the conflict in Ukraine. Russia’s troops have largely succeeded in holding the road towards Ukrainian forces in Kyiv’s Western-backed counteroffensive, a navy achievement he has praised commonly in public feedback.
It’s also an extra signal that Mr. Putin is sticking by his prime generals. On the similar time, the highest normal seen as closest to Mr. Prigozhin, Gen. Sergei Surovikin, nonetheless has not been seen in public because the mutiny.
Rostov-on-Don is residence to the headquarters of Russia’s Southern Army District, a strategic command middle for Mr. Putin’s conflict in Ukraine. Mr. Prigozhin briefly took management of the headquarters earlier than his fighters started advancing towards Moscow.
The Russian state information company Tass stated that Mr. Putin had repeatedly visited the town and the command publish there, together with in March, when he additionally visited the occupied Ukrainian metropolis of Mariupol.
Individually on Saturday, Russia’s navy stated it had shot down a Ukrainian missile aimed on the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014. An S-200 surface-to-air missile was shot down by air protection, and there have been no accidents or injury, Russia’s Protection Ministry stated. The declare couldn’t be independently verified.
Per week earlier, Moscow stated it had shot down two missiles fired by Ukraine on the strategically important Kerch Strait Bridge connecting Crimea to Russia. Ukrainian officers, whereas indirectly confirming the assault, have stated they might proceed finishing up assaults on the peninsula and the bridge as a part of Kyiv’s efforts to focus on the Russian navy’s logistical provide strains.
Of their slow-moving counteroffensive within the nation’s east, Ukrainian forces have been aiming to succeed in the Sea of Azov and drive a wedge into the land bridge connecting Russia and Crimea, a important hyperlink for the Russian navy’s provide routes.
Right here’s what else is going on within the conflict:
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Zelensky Go to: Mr. Zelensky arrived on Saturday in Sweden, the place he stated in a press release that he would proceed to to work on bilateral cooperation, “specifically within the protection trade, the European integration of Ukraine and customary safety within the Euro-Atlantic house.”
He added that Ukraine’s supported Sweden “on its manner into NATO.” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, an alliance member that had been blocking Sweden’s entry, expressed assist in July for the Nordic nation’s membership, however stated that it nonetheless wanted to take extra steps to earn the assist of the Turkish Parliament.
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Camp David Summit: In his summit with the leaders of Japan and South Korea, President Biden counseled Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan for his nation’s assist of Ukraine. “Think about if we had performed nothing?” the president stated. If the world had not come to Kyiv’s assist, “What sign would that ship to China about Taiwan?” Mr. Biden requested, hinting at U.S. officers’ concern concerning the prospect of China taking navy motion towards Taiwan.
Paul Sonne contributed reporting.
