12 killed in Russia and Ukraine, Kiev's famous book market went up in flames
The escalation between the armies of Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky continues, as they fire more and more at civilian targets: Ukraine launched over 800 UAVs in one night at Russia, some of them exploded in residential areas and killed 5, another warehouse of the "Russian Amazon" Wildberries burned down. Russia hit the Pochaina antique book market, stalls went up in flames and the seller Dmytro said: "Everything is gone". A UAV was shot down in Romania, Zelensky: "50 thousand North Koreans on the way to the front"
At least 12 people were killed on Sunday in missile and UAV attacks across Russia and Ukraine, which destroyed a famous book market in Kiev and included one of the largest Ukrainian air attacks on Moscow since the beginning of the war.
According to Russia, during the night Ukraine launched more than 820 UAVs at its territory, with about 600 heading toward Moscow. Most were intercepted, but others exploded on various targets. In the Rostov region, where more than 150 UAVs were launched overnight, explosions in three towns caused the death of five people. Two more were killed in the Belgorod and Moscow regions.
In the town of Podolsk near Moscow, Ukraine hit a new warehouse of the Russian online retail giant Wildberries. Images from the scene show a huge cloud of smoke rising from the facility. Wildberries, often called the "Russian Amazon," is a pillar of the Russian economy, and in the last two months, Ukraine has repeatedly targeted its warehouses, causing severe operational disruptions. Kiev states it attacks these facilities because they are used to transfer military equipment to Russian troops at the front.
In Ukraine, two people were killed and 14 others injured at an ArcelorMittal steel plant in Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelensky. The facility, one of the largest steel producers in Ukraine, announced a partial suspension of operations. Additional Russian attacks led to the deaths of two people in Zaporizhzhia and the Sumy region.
In Kiev, the popular open-air book market Pochaina, famous for rare and antique books, was hit. Book seller Dmytro Semenukha saw his four stalls go up in flames:
"There was a shop here. There were books here, flags from all countries, quantities of everything. All of this is gone," said the 45-year-old Semenukha.
"Everywhere the Russians manage to reach with their ballistic missiles, they hit civilian infrastructure," President Zelensky condemned on social media. According to him, in the last week, Ukraine has faced more than 1,550 attack UAVs, nearly 1,560 guided glide bombs, and 62 missiles. He reiterated his call for Western allies to provide additional air defense capabilities, emphasizing the critical shortage of American Patriot interceptors.
Meanwhile, a UAV that penetrated Romanian airspace was shot down early in the morning near the borders with Ukraine and Moldova by a Spanish fighter jet on a NATO mission.
At the same time, amid accusations that North Korea is preparing to send more forces to assist the Russian army, Pyongyang's official news agency reported that Kim Jong Un sent a letter to Vladimir Putin declaring he is "proud" of his relations with Russia. President Zelensky recently warned that Pyongyang is preparing to send between 30,000 and 50,000 additional soldiers to reinforce Russian forces.
