(Moscow) At least 49 people were killed in a Russian strike which notably hit a grocery store in a village in the Kharkiv region, in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian authorities announced.
What there is to know
- At least 48 people were killed in a Russian strike that hit a grocery store in a village in the Kharkiv region;
- The Russian fleet will set up a base in Abkhazia, a pro-Russian separatist region of Georgia;
- The Ukrainian Air Force intercepted 24 of 29 Iranian-made drones launched by Russia;
- More than 26,000 Ukrainians, including 15,000 military personnel, have been missing since the Russian invasion began in February 2022;
- The head of EU diplomacy stressed that Europe cannot replace American support for Ukraine;
- Volodymyr Zelensky expressed concerns over US support for Ukraine due to a “difficult election period” in the United States;
- The Ukrainian president is in Spain for a European summit and hopes for agreements on strengthening its air defense as winter approaches;
- The governor of Russia’s Kursk region has accused the Ukrainian army of firing cluster munitions on the town of Rylsk.
President Volodymyr Zelensky first announced a death toll of 48 in this village located near the town of Kupiansk, close to the front line and regularly targeted by Russian bombings, denouncing “a manifestly brutal Russian crime”.
Shortly after, regional governor Oleg Synegoubov reported 49 deaths.
The attack took place around 1:15 p.m. local time (7:15 a.m. Eastern time) hitting a food store and a cafe in the village of Groza, about 30 kilometers west of Kupiansk, the statement said. regional governor Oleg Synegoubov on Telegram.
Before the war, Groza was inhabited by around 500 people.
A six-year-old boy was among the dead, he added, with six also injured.
Mr. Zelensky posted a photo of several people lying on the ground and showing no signs of life.
In the images published by Mr. Synegoubov, we can see piles of debris and rescuers on site.
Russian fleet to set up base in separatist region of Georgia
The Russian army will set up a naval base in Abkhazia, a pro-Russian separatist region of Georgia, the leader of this territory announced Thursday as Ukraine intensifies its attacks against the Russian Black Sea fleet in Crimea.
“We have signed an agreement and, in the near future, the Russian military navy will have a permanent anchor point in the Ochamchire district” on the Black Sea coast, Aslan Bjania told the Russian newspaper Izvestia.
The Kremlin spokesperson declined to comment. “I absolutely cannot comment,” said Dmitry Peskov.
Georgia, on the other hand, condemned this announcement, which it sees as a “flagrant violation” of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
This is a “new provocation aimed at legitimizing the illegal occupation of Abkhazia”, declared its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressing “concern”.
Moscow and Georgia have complex relations. A short but bloody war opposed them in 2008, against a backdrop of tensions linked to the Georgian desire to get closer to the West.
The current Georgian government, which denies being pro-Russian, has nevertheless adopted a more flexible position towards Russia, while the opposition accuses it of wanting a rapprochement with the Kremlin, fueling a political crisis. .
At the end of the 2008 war, Moscow recognized the independence of two separatist territories in the north of the country, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and has since maintained a military presence there.
Aslan Bjania, who was due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin this week, said the aim of the agreement was to improve the defense capabilities of both Russia and Abkhazia.
“This type of cooperation will continue,” he told the newspaper Izvestia.
Strikes in Crimea
Although no comments were made on the Russian side, the announcement comes as for weeks Ukraine has increased attacks against Russian installations in Crimea, a strategic peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014 and where the Russian fleet is based. the black Sea.
Kyiv claimed responsibility in particular for the destruction of anti-aircraft defense systems, a shipyard and two ships located there.
At the end of September, Kyiv carried out a spectacular strike against the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, in the city of Sevastopol, saying it had killed around thirty officers there.
Russia, which almost never gives information on its military losses, had for its part communicated a report of one person missing following the bombing.
Crimea is at the heart of Russia’s military posture for its assault on Ukraine, both to supply troops occupying southern Ukraine and to carry out missile strikes from the sea.
The Ukrainian armed forces want to both disrupt the Russian supply chain and end Russia’s military control over the Black Sea.
According to independent Russian media The Bell, a significant part of the Russian Black Sea Fleet has even left its base in Sevastopol, due to the threat of Ukrainian bombing.
The site, classified as a “foreign agent” by the Russian authorities, is based on satellite images shared by pro-Kremlin Telegram channels.
The Black Sea also represents an essential issue for Ukrainian grain exports, the country being one of the world’s major producers.
Russia withdrew in July from a deal that allowed their export and threatened ships sailing in the Black Sea by bombing Ukrainian ports.
But Kyiv has nevertheless set up a maritime corridor and cargo ships loaded with wheat or other foodstuffs now circulate through its ports.