Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Russia is preparing a “massive new strike” on the country, urging citizens to “protect your lives” as intelligence indicates an imminent attack. The warning follows one of the largest Russian bombardments since the full-scale invasion in 2022, which hit Kyiv particularly hard last weekend.
Moscow has threatened to escalate attacks and advised foreign diplomats to leave Kyiv, in retaliation for a Ukrainian strike on a dormitory and school in Russian-occupied Luhansk that reportedly killed 21 people. Zelenskyy reiterated his call for allies to supply Patriot missile systems, which can intercept Russian ballistic missiles, and has written to Donald Trump and the US Congress requesting more systems.
Meanwhile, a Russian drone struck an apartment building in the Romanian city of Galati, near the border with Ukraine, injuring two people. Romania and Nato allies condemned the incident as a “serious and irresponsible escalation”. Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance was “ready to defend every inch” of its territory, while the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, pledged to increase deterrence on the EU's eastern border.
In a separate development, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Russia has the means to destroy any threat to the exclave of Kaliningrad. He also stated that any location posing a threat to Russia is a legitimate target, responding to reports of Ukrainian drone operators in Latvia. The UN has added Russia to a blacklist for sexual violence in conflict, citing abuse by security forces including the rape of male detainees.
