Kyiv: 24 Dead From Russian Missile Packed With Western Parts, Moscow Plans New Belarus Attack
Kyiv: 24 Dead From Russian Missile Packed With Western Parts, Moscow Plans New Belarus Attack
Ukraine has warned that Russia is planning new military operations from Belarusian territory, as it also revealed that the Russian cruise missile that killed 24 people in Kyiv was built using Western-made components. The Ukrainian government said it has documented contacts between Russian and Belarusian officials discussing “aggressive operations” against Ukraine or NATO [150390]. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy separately accused Moscow of trying to pull Belarus deeper into the war, saying Russia is considering attacks targeting Ukraine’s Chernihiv-Kyiv region or potentially a NATO member state [150256].
At least 24 people, including three children, were killed in a large-scale Russian aerial attack on the Ukrainian capital, President Zelenskyy announced [149914][150159]. A further 48 people were injured. Ukraine identified the weapon as a Kh-101 cruise missile and said images of debris from an apartment block show the weapon contained foreign electronics used for guidance and navigation [150286]. Officials say the parts came from countries that have imposed export controls on Russia, highlighting the continuing challenge of stopping the flow of critical technology despite international sanctions [150286].
In response to the strikes, Ukraine launched a large-scale drone attack on multiple Russian regions, targeting the massive Ryazan oil refinery [150128]. The attack is the largest such Ukrainian strike on Russian infrastructure in recent days [150128].
Separately, Ukraine and Russia exchanged 205 prisoners from each side, marking the first stage of a planned 1,000-for-1,000 swap mediated by the United Arab Emirates [150228][150206]. Both nations confirmed the transfer, which is the largest single exchange in months [150228].
Meanwhile, Lithuania has signed a full agreement with Ukraine to jointly produce military drones, covering long-range strike, naval, interceptor, and bomber drones, including technology transfer between companies [149495]. Latvia will host Ukrainian air defense specialists under a proposed agreement, bringing combat experience to Latvia’s defense operations [149495].
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