Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday accused Russia of the deaths of at least 500 children since the war began.
In a statement quoted by Associated Busys Zelensky claimed that “Russian weapons and hatred continue to take and destroy the lives of Ukrainian children every day” since the start of the war last February. Considering that “many could have become famous academics, artists, sports champions, contributing to the history” of the country, the Ukrainian president said, however, it is not possible to state exactly how many children have already died in the conflict , because of hostilities and the territories occupied by Russia. “We must resist and win this war. All of Ukraine, all people, all children must be free from Russian terror,” he concluded.
The statements came a few hours after attacks in Kiev and Dnipro, in the early hours of the morning, that left 22 injured and a two-year-old girl killed. The Dnipro regional governor also said that five of the injured were children. According to Serhiy Lysak, two buildings in a residential area, ten houses, a shop and a gas pipeline were also destroyed.
According to several witnesses, the anti-aircraft alarm was active for three hours and several explosions were heard in the city.
Over the course of Sunday, new Russian attacks were registered in various parts of the country, including Kiev. According to the country’s air force, three of the five drones were shot down, as were four of the six cruise missiles. Still, two of the missiles hit a base in Kropyvnystkyi, a town in Kyrovohrad province, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force said.
On the other side of the barricade, Russia said it had repelled Ukrainian fighters trying to push into the Belgorod border area, which was attacked on Sunday and has been bombed in recent weeks.
“Border guard units in the Western Military District and the Border Service of the Federal Security Service discovered a sabotage attempt by a group of Ukrainian terrorists preparing to cross the river near the town of Novaya Tavolyanka,” they said. in a statement. “The enemy was hit by artillery,” Moscow said, and ended up “scattered and retreating.”
The governor of the region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, also admitted that prisoners have been captured despite the Ukrainian withdrawal – it is not known exactly how many. At the Telegram, Gladkov stated that the fighters were pro-Ukrainian Russians and that there is a possibility of exchanging prisoners between the two sides. The Russian Volunteer Corps and the Russian Freedom Legion (consisting of Russians fighting on the Ukrainian side) had already appealed to the governor of Belgorod for a meeting between the two sides to retrieve the captives. In answer, Gladkov said that “the only thing” stopping him from negotiating with these paramilitary groups was the Russian men, “who are in your hands and may already be dead”.
With agencies
Source: DN
