Firefighters put out a fire in a residential neighborhood after a Russian missile and drone attack in Brovary, near Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday.
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KYIV, Ukraine — A combined missile and drone attack on the Kyiv region killed at least four people and wounded at least 15 more Saturday night, an official said, after the U.S. postponed Russia-Ukraine talks because of the war with Iran.
The attack hit four districts, damaging residential buildings, educational institutions, businesses and critical infrastructure, regional administration head Mykola Kalashnik wrote in a social media post. He said that the condition of three of the injured is critical.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the main target of the strikes was the Kyiv region’s energy infrastructure. He said Russia had launched about 430 drones and 68 missiles.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Saturday that the overnight strikes targeted energy and industrial facilities and military airfields serving Ukraine’s armed forces.
Russia hopes to profit from the Iran war
The US has postponed its sponsored talks planned for this week between the two sides because of the war in the Middle East.
As US and Israeli missiles and bombs rain down on Iran, Russia has responded with words of outrage but no action to support its ally. Moscow’s failure to help another ally after the ouster of former Syrian ruler Bashar Assad in 2024 and the US arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in January have highlighted the limits of its influence – but the Kremlin expects to reap benefits from the Iran war.
Russia is already benefiting from a rise in global energy prices, and the Middle East war could be expected to draw attention away from Ukraine, depleting Western arsenals and forcing NATO allies to reduce military support for Kyiv.
Zelenskyy on Saturday called on Kyiv’s Western partners to pay “one hundred percent attention” to the need to increase production of air defense missiles.
“Russia will try to use the war in the Middle East to cause even more destruction in Europe, in Ukraine,” he posted on social media.
Firefighters put out a fire at a railway workshop after a Russian missile and drone attack in Brovary, near Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday.
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“We must fully realize the real level of the threat and prepare accordingly, namely: in Europe, we need to develop the production of air defense missiles – especially the ability to counter ballistic threats – as well as all other systems necessary to truly protect lives,” he said.
Zelensky said on Thursday that Kyiv was awaiting White House approval for a major drone production deal proposed by Ukraine last year, as the countries scrambled to modernize their air defenses after the Iran war exposed flaws.
Zelensky on Thursday criticized a 30-day US waiver on Russian oil sanctions because of the war in the Middle East, saying it was “not the right decision” and would not help stop Russia’s 4-year-old invasion of Ukraine.
“This easing of the United States could provide Russia with about $10 billion in war funds,” Zelensky said. “It certainly doesn’t help peace.”
Ukraine has attacked a refinery and a port in southern Russia
Ukrainian drones hit an oil refinery and port in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, local Russian officials reported.
Krasnodar officials said three people were injured in the strike at Port Kavkaz, on the opposite side of Crimea, which is used to ship liquefied natural gas and grain. Officials said the service vessel and pier infrastructure were damaged, with one person hospitalized.
Debris from a falling drone sparked a fire at the Afipsky oil refinery, one of southern Russia’s largest oil refineries, officials said in a Telegram post. He said no one was injured, but did not immediately comment on the damage.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Ukraine’s General Staff said both the refinery and the port would be used to supply Moscow’s armed forces. It added that it was assessing the impact of the strikes.
Afipski refinery products include diesel fuels and natural gasoline that can be used to make jet fuel or gasoline. It had previously been targeted by Ukrainian drones in January and November.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces shot down 87 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 16 over the Krasnodar region and 31 over the nearby Sea of Azov.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 16 drones were shot down as they approached the Russian capital on Saturday afternoon.
Earlier this week, both Russian and Ukrainian officials defended the frontline progress, saying Ukraine had pushed back Moscow’s forces in frontline positions, and the Kremlin insisted that Russia’s offensive on its neighborhood was making progress.
