A combined missile and drone attack in the kyiv region killed at least four people and injured at least 15 overnight Saturday, according to the head of the Ukrainian capital’s regional administration.
Three of the injured are in critical condition, two of whom are undergoing surgery, Mykola Kalashnyk reported on Saturday. The attack affected four districts and damaged residential buildings, educational institutions, businesses and critical infrastructure, Kalashnyk added in a social media post.
The attacks came days after the United States postponed peace talks between Russia and Ukraine scheduled for this week, citing the war in the Middle East.
Read moreRussia is wrong to think war with Iran will offer respite for Ukraine, says Macron
As American 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, following the overthrow of former Syrian ruler Bashar Assad in 2024 and the US arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in January, highlighted the limits of its influence, but the Kremlin hopes to reap benefits from the war against Iran.
Russia is already benefiting from rising global energy prices and could hope the war in the Middle East will divert attention from Ukraine and deplete Western arsenals.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that the United States’ 30-day waiver of Russian oil sanctions amid the Iran war “is not the right decision” and will not help stop Russia’s more than four-year-old invasion of Ukraine.
“This easing alone by the United States could provide Russia with about $10 billion for the war,” Zelensky said. “This certainly does not help peace.”
Earlier this week, Russian and Ukrainian officials claimed progress on the front line, with Ukraine saying it pushed back Moscow’s forces through places on the front line and the Kremlin insisting that Russia’s invasion of its neighbor is making progress.
Meanwhile, Russia’s almost daily attacks on Ukrainian civilian areas have continued.
(FRANCE 24 with AP)
