Russia has launched a wave of attacks on Ukraine, killing four people and injuring 10 others, just one day after Moscow’s deadliest attack on Kyiv this year. In the bordering Sumy region, two women, an elderly man, and a girl younger than two years old were killed, and three others were injured after a Russian drone hit a house. Several people were also injured in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown.
This comes as a day of mourning is observed in Kyiv on Friday after at least three dozen people were killed there on Thursday. Both Ukraine and Russia have vowed to escalate fighting hours after Moscow unleashed the deadly bombardment. The attack left 91 injured and more than 130 buildings were destroyed. Mr. Zelensky said his forces would ‘definitely’ retaliate in response to the overnight attacks.
Moscow said the attacks were retaliation for Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian energy infrastructure. Mr. Zelensky blamed the destruction in part on a failure of allies to deliver promised air defenses which ‘could have saved more homes and lives today.’ In a separate development, a suspect in a bomb attack in Monaco earlier this week has been identified as a woman who has been spotted in Germany. Three people were wounded on Monday evening in a parcel bomb explosion in the wealthy principality, which was believed to be an attack on Ukrainian-born oligarch Vadym Yermolaiev. A woman at the residence suffered very serious injuries in the attack and was being treated in a hospital in Nice.
The tycoon and a 13-year-old child suffered less serious injuries, including burns and shrapnel wounds, but remain in hospital. Meanwhile, the escalating Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure have led to a fuel crisis in Russia, prompting a rush for Chinese electric cars. A Moscow car dealership is struggling to keep up with demand for new electric vehicles from China as drivers look to sidestep a fuel crisis that has led to long queues and soaring prices across much of Russia.
Retail gasoline prices in some areas have climbed to among the highest levels in Europe. Russia’s vast distances, harsh climate, and limited charging network have curbed the growth of its EV market. But the mounting fuel challenges are leading some motorists to make the switch.
EN Cars, which specializes in Chinese brands, is selling two to three EVs per day, compared with two to three a month just a few weeks ago. The company’s founder, Yevgeniy Zabelin, told Reuters that ‘since the fuel situation became complicated, demand has grown many times over.’
