Russia has deployed more than 30 drone attacks on Ukraine, says Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky as he pledged to “clip the wings” of Moscow’s air power.
He also said Russia had hit Ukraine with around 4,500 missile strikes and over 8,000 air raids.
Russia has been flying “Iranian drones” into key Ukrainian infrastructure facilities and residential areas, but both Moscow and Tehran deny the origins of the drones.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has accused the Russian military of using the devices to “kill Ukrainian civilians and destroy the infrastructure they rely on for electricity, for water, for heat”.
Western allies on the UN Security Council have insisted that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has the right to investigate if Russia has used Iranian drones to attack civilians and power plants in Ukraine.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has called for Ukraine to bring any evidence supporting their accusations forward, adding that the claims were “baseless”.
On Monday, he said: “If…it becomes clear to us that Russia has used Iranian drones in the war against Ukraine, we will definitely not be indifferent about this issue.”
Key Points
-
Putin says world facing ‘most dangerous and unpredictable time’
-
Zelensky says Russia has carried out nearly 4,500 missile strikes
-
UN to probe Russia’s ‘dirty bomb’ claim
-
South Korea denies sending lethal weapons to Ukraine
Russian forces shell Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
07:02 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Russian troops shelled areas of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast using Grad missile launchers and heavy artillery, governor Valentyn Reznichenko said.
In Nikopol city, dozen high-rises and private residences along with several power lines were damaged in the attack.
US to send additional $275m in military aid to Ukraine
06:43 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The US is sending Ukraine a new $275m package of weapons and other aid, in a move to bolster the effort to drive Russian forces out of key.
Officials said there are no major new weapons in the package, which is expected to be announced on Friday, according to the Associated Press.
Instead, the US aid is largely aimed at restocking thousands of rounds of ammunition for weapons systems already in use, including for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems.
Putin hits out at Liz Truss over comments on nuclear weapons
06:29 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Vladimir Putin accused Liz Truss of being “a bit out of it” over comments she made about nuclear weapons.
The Russian president hit out at the former prime minister as he sought to defend his country from the criticism of Western leaders since the invasion of Ukraine.
It comes amid concerns that with Russia struggling to make ground in Ukraine, Mr Putin could turn to nuclear weapons.
“We’ve never said anything proactively about possible use of nuclear weapons by Russia. We have only hinted in response to those statements that the Western leaders have made,” he said, according to a live translation on Sky News.
Dominic McGrath has more.
Putin accuses Liz Truss of being ‘out of it’ over comments on nuclear weapons
South Korea denies sending lethal weapons to Ukraine
06:12 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol said that Seoul has not provided any lethal weapons to Ukraine, after Russian president Vladimir Putin said such a decision would destroy their bilateral relations.
“We have been in solidarity with the international community for peaceful, humanitarian aid to Ukraine and have not provided any lethal weapons, but that’s in any regard a matter of our sovereignty,” Mr Yoon told reporters.
The US ally has maintained that it would not provide Ukraine with lethal aid and has sought to avoid antagonizing Russia due to Moscow’s influence over North Korea.
“We are putting efforts to maintain peaceful, good relations with every country in the world, including Russia,” Mr Yoon added.
Russia deployed over 30 drones in two days, says Zelensky
06:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia has launched more than 30 drone attacks on the war-torn country in just two days.
Since February, Moscow has carried out nearly 4,500 missile strikes and over 8,000 air raids, the president said in his nighttime address.
Standing beside what appeared to be a downed Iranian Shahed drone, Mr Zelensky pledged to “clip the wings” of Moscow’s air power.
He said: “Enemy planes will fall. Enemy helicopters will fall. ‘Shaheds’ will fall.”
UN to probe Russia’s ‘dirty bomb’ claim
05:56 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi said he is sending inspectors to two locations in Ukraine where Russia alleged that activities related to the possible production of “dirty bombs” was taking place.
He said the inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency would be traveling this week to the two sites, following a written request from the Ukrainian government.
Russia’s UN ambassador alleged in a letter to Security Council members this week that Ukraine’s Institute for Nuclear Research of the National Academy of Sciences in Kyiv and Vostochniy Mining and Processing Plant “have received direct orders from (Volodymyr) Zelensky’s regime to develop such a dirty bomb.”
World faces ‘most dangerous and unpredictable time’, says Putin
05:55 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Russian president Vladimir Putin said the world is facing the most dangerous decade since World War II as Western powers power struggle to prevent their crumbling of global dominance.
“The historical period of the West’s undivided dominance over world affairs is coming to an end,” Mr Putin said at the Valdai Discussion Club, a conference of international policy experts.
“We are standing at a historical frontier – Ahead is probably the most dangerous, unpredictable and, at the same time, important decade since the end of World War II.”
He accused the West of playing a “dangerous and dirty game” and seeking to escalate the war in Ukraine.
05:17 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
