Ballistic missile attack underway in Kyiv; residents urged to stay in shelters
Kyiv's mayor warned residents to remain in shelters as a ballistic missile attack hit the capital, while civilian casualties were reported on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine border.
A ballistic missile attack was underway in Kyiv early Sunday, with Mayor Vitali Klitschko urging residents to stay in shelters. In a Telegram post, he announced that air defense forces were active in the capital. Explosions and several flashes were reported in the sky.
The previous day saw civilian deaths on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine border. Russian strikes in the Dnipropetrovsk region in central-eastern Ukraine and the northern Sumy region killed two people. Ukraine launched attacks on Volgograd and Belgorod in southwestern Russia, as well as Horlivka in the Moscow-controlled part of Ukraine's Donetsk region, killing three, according to regional authorities.
In Russia's Bryansk border region, a Ukrainian drone strike on Saturday killed two people in their car near the border, said acting governor Yegor Kovalchuk. Russia's Defense Ministry reported that 124 Ukrainian drones were downed over Russian regions between 8 am and 8 pm. Near Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk region, over 40 drone strikes and artillery fire killed one person and injured another, according to the regional governor. Nikopol lies on the opposite bank of the Dnipro River from the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and is a frequent target.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced on Saturday that he would resign within weeks and that early presidential and parliamentary elections would be held, following 18 months of anti-government protests over corruption and media censorship. Serbia is an EU candidate but faces pressure to align with Western sanctions on Russia, which it has so far refused. It must also improve rule of law, including fair election conditions, and combat corruption and organized crime.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko met on Friday at Putin's Valdai residence in northwestern Russia. Their discussions focused on trade and economic cooperation, joint projects, and regional security. The meeting followed a warning from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this month for Lukashenko to remove Russian equipment from Belarus used in attacks on Ukraine.
