On the 457th day of the Russian invasion, at least two people were killed and 23 others injured in a Russian strike that hit a clinic in Dnipro, central-eastern Ukraine on Friday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. denounces “a new crime against humanity”. Europe 1 takes stock of the situation.
Ukraine was again targeted Friday by salvoes of Russian missiles, including a clinic hit in Dnipro where at least two people were killed, a strike denounced by President Volodymyr Zelensky as a “crime against humanity”. Russia has reported for the fifth consecutive day of Ukrainian bombardments on the Russian border region of Belgorod, already targeted earlier this week during an incursion by armed fighters from Ukraine, as well as a drone strike in Krasnodar , 200 km from Crimea. “There are 23 wounded in Dnipro,” said Governor Serguiï Lyssak, adding that two men had also been killed.
“A new crime against humanity”, denounces Zelensky
The Ukrainian president has published images on which we can see buildings badly damaged and topped with plumes of black smoke. Other videos show rescuers helping people with blood on their faces escape the clinic through rubble-filled corridors. “A new Russian missile attack, a new crime against humanity”, denounced Volodymyr Zelensky. According to first lady Olena Zelenska, it was a clinic for psychiatric care. According to Governor Serguiï Lyssak, his region was “massively attacked” during the night “with missiles and drones”.
Kyiv Municipality also reported overnight the 13th Russian airstrike on the capital since early May, this time with cruise missiles launched by Tu-95MS strategic bombers from the Caspian Sea region. “According to preliminary information, all enemy targets in Kyiv airspace have been detected and destroyed,” she added.
On the whole territory, the Ukrainian general staff reported 55 Russian air attacks, one of which notably damaged a dam in the eastern region of Donetsk, posing “a great danger of flooding” of the area.
Russia sees ‘serious obstacles’ to peace in Ukraine, Lavrov tells Chinese envoy
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that he saw “serious obstacles” in the search for a peaceful solution in Ukraine, when he received Chinese envoy Li Hui in Moscow. During their meeting, “the Russian Foreign Minister reaffirmed Moscow’s commitment to a politico-diplomatic resolution of the conflict, noting the serious obstacles created by Ukraine and its Western supporters to the resumption of peace talks peace,” Russian diplomacy said in a statement. “Sergei Lavrov expressed his gratitude to China for its balanced stance on the Ukrainian crisis and expressed his high appreciation for Beijing’s willingness to play a positive role in its settlement,” she added.
A similar message was conveyed by Russian President Vladimir Putin during a telephone interview with his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Friday. The Russian president, “confirmed that the Russian side is open to political and diplomatic dialogue, which is still hampered by kyiv and its Western supporters,” the Kremlin said in a statement. Li Hui, a former Chinese ambassador to Moscow, was sent by Beijing to discuss a political settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. He has been touring Europe for a week. During his visit to kyiv earlier in May, Li Hui had talks with the head of Ukrainian diplomacy Dmytro Kouleba. The latter then insisted on “respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine”.
In Berlin, the German government asked Li Hui to “pressure” Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine. Russia and China maintain close relations which have been strengthened economically and diplomatically since the outbreak of the Russian offensive in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 and the rain of Western sanctions which hit the Russian economy. Beijing has never publicly condemned the Russian assault and Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Moscow in March where he gave strong support to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Berlin asks China to pressure Moscow to withdraw troops from Ukraine
The German government has asked Chinese envoy Li Hui to “pressure” Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine, a German Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Friday. The Chinese envoy, who is on a one-week European tour and is expected in Moscow on Friday, was received in Berlin on Wednesday by State Secretary Andreas Michaelis. “The exchange on the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine was at the center of this intensive interview,” said a spokesman for the ministry, Christian Wagner, during a regular press conference. “China, as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has a special responsibility to play a constructive role in favor of peace and security in the world”, estimated this spokesman, recalling that Berlin “would support Ukraine as long as necessary” against Moscow. “Germany has also asked China to put pressure on Russia to immediately cease its attack and withdraw completely from Ukraine,” the Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
According to him, “China should also use its influence on Russia to put an end to its irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and prevent any escalation”. “The Secretary of State expressed the expectation that China clearly designates and condemns Russia’s aggression and refrains from supporting it with (delivery of) weapons,” said Christian Wagner. “Both parties agreed to continue the exchange on the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine,” he concluded.
Li Hui, who was China’s ambassador to the Russian capital, has been touring Europe for a week. He spent two days in kyiv, one day in Poland and was in France on Tuesday. Russia and China maintain close relations which have been strengthened economically and diplomatically since the launch of the Russian offensive in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 and the rain of Western sanctions that hit the Russian economy. Beijing has also made a point of not condemning the Russian assault on their Ukrainian neighbors.
Russian night strikes on Ukraine
The Russian army has confirmed that it carried out night strikes on Ukraine, claiming to have targeted “ammunition storage sites” and to have “hit all designated sites”. Moscow also reported Ukrainian bombardments on a Russian border region, for the fifth consecutive day. The Belgorod region has suffered dozens of artillery fires in the past 24 hours, according to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, which caused material damage without causing any casualties.
These shots notably targeted the village of Kozinka, in the district of Graivoron, where an incursion by armed fighters from Ukraine had taken place at the start of the week. The village was hit by 132 shells, according to the governor. The Belgorodsky district, which surrounds the regional capital Belgorod, was hit by 14 shots, including from drones, one of which dropped a bomb on an administrative building, damaging its roof and shattering the windows. In Krasnodar, a city of more than a million inhabitants in southern Russia, buildings were damaged by the strike of two drones, which did not cause any casualties.
Belgorod border region attacked on Monday
These bombardments take place while Ukraine says it has been preparing for months a major counter-offensive intended to repel Russian troops, after having received multiple deliveries of Western weapons. In this context, Russian diplomacy “strongly protested” to the United States embassy against “unacceptable statements” by Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, whom it accused of “approving” Ukrainian strikes against Russian territory.
On Monday, two armed groups fighting for Ukraine and claiming to be Russian attacked the border region of Belgorod, the most serious incursion of this type since the start of the war. If the Russian army claimed to have killed nearly 70 “Ukrainian terrorists” using artillery and aviation, the two groups, whose members are linked to the Russian far right, did not only two dead and ten wounded in their ranks.
Nuclear weapons in Belarus?
Another source of tension, Belarus, an ally of Moscow, said Thursday evening that Russia had begun to deploy nuclear weapons on its territory, in accordance with an announcement made in March by Vladimir Putin. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not confirm this information on Friday, merely pointing out that Belarus “is facing unfriendly, even hostile attitudes from neighboring countries”.
“We must therefore continue to develop and strengthen our relations with our allies (…) including in the military field,” he added.
Source: Europe1
I have been working as a journalist for over 10 years. In that time, I have covered the news from all corners of the world, and written about everything from politics to business.I’m now a full-time author, and my work can be found at Global happenings. My aim is to bring you up-to-date news and views on global affairs, in a format that is easy to read and understand.
