Ukrainian officials said Thursday a Russian attack on a village in the northeast of the country killed 48 people and injured at least six more. Presidential chief of staff Andrii Yermak and Kharkiv Gov Oleh Syniehubov said Russian forces shelled a shop and a cafe in the village of Hroza, in the Kharkiv region, around 1 pm.
A 6-year-old boy was among those killed in the attack, Syniehubov said, and one child was also among the wounded.
Zelenskyy arrived in Granada in southern Spain to attend a summit of the European Political Community
The attack came as Zelenskyy arrived in Granada in southern Spain to attend a summit of the European Political Community, which was formed in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“The key for us, especially before winter, is to strengthen air defence, and there is already a basis for new agreements with partners,” he said in a statement posted on his Telegram channel.
Last winter, Russia targeted Ukraine’s energy system and other vital infrastructure in a steady barrage of missile and drone attacks, triggering continuous power outages across the country. Ukraine’s power system has shown a high degree of resilience and flexibility, helping alleviate the damage, but there have been concerns that Russia will again ramp up its strikes on power facilities as winter draws nearer.
Zelenskyy noted the Granada summit will also focus on “joint work for global food security and protection of freedom of navigation” in the Black Sea, where the Russian military has targeted Ukrainian ports after Moscow’s withdrawal from a U.N.-sponsored grain deal designed to ensure safe grain exports from the invaded country’s ports.
The U.K. Foreign Office cited intelligence suggesting that Russia may lay sea mines in the approach to Ukrainian ports to target civilian shipping and blame it on Ukraine.
(With inputs from agency)
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