Ukraine war: Deadly Kyiv attack, Russian oil refinery hit, Eastern Europe's Russia warning

A drone explodes mid-air in Kyiv after being shot down by Ukrainian authorities.
A drone explodes mid-air in Kyiv after being shot down by Ukrainian authorities. Copyright Sergei Supinsky/ AFP
By Euronews with AP
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All the latest news from the Russia-Ukraine war.

Latest attack on Kyiv kills at least three, injures several

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Russian forces began June with a fresh aerial bombardment of Kyiv on Thursday, killing at least three people and wounding others, authorities said.

Following a reported 17 drone and missile attacks on the Ukrainian capital in May, Russian forces hit Kyiv in the early morning with ground-launched missiles.

The City Administration reported one child was among the dead, with 10 people wounded. 

The casualty toll was the most from one attack on Kyiv in the past month.

In the Desnianskyi district, debris fell on a children’s hospital and a nearby multistory building. Two schools and a police department were damaged.

In another district, Dniprovskyi, a residential building was damaged by burning debris, parked cars caught fire, and debris fell onto the roadway and courtyards.

Ukraine’s General Staff reported the Air Forces intercepted all 10 missiles, which it identified as short-range ballistic Iskander missiles.

Russia has repeatedly targeted Kyiv with waves of drone and missile attacks since the start of the invasion. Attacks against the capital have significantly intensified over the past month as Ukraine prepares for a counteroffensive.

Macron: 'We should have listened to Eastern Europe over Russia'

French President Emmanuel Macron conceded on Wednesday France should have heard Eastern European nations' warnings about Russia before it invaded Ukraine. 

"Some said you had missed an opportunity to shut up. I think we also lost an opportunity to listen to you. This time is over," Macron said at the GLOBSEC think tank in Slovakia. 

Macron was alluding to a remark made in 2003 by his predecessor Jacques Chirac, which was directed at Eastern European governments who supported the American invasion of Iraq.

The French president said the division between Eastern and Western Europe should be non-existent when it comes to matters involving Russia.

Both eastern and western EU member states should also establish an integrated defence industry to move away from dependence on the US, Macron argued. 

"Let's be grateful and say thank you to the United States," he said. "But is this administration here forever? That's why a European defence pillar in NATO is indispensable."

Macron added that Russia's invasion has taken a toll on its own interests, citing Finland's entry into NATO and Moscow's stark trade deficit. 

Paris has been frequently criticised by eastern EU member states, including Poland, for continuing to communicate with Russia even after the start of the war.

Wagner chief asks Moscow to investigate top defence officials' 'crimes'

Russian mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has asked Russian prosecutors to investigate crimes committed by top defence officials committed before or during the Ukraine war. 

The Wagner chief continued his series of challenges against Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov.

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Neither Shoigu nor Gerasimov has responded publicly to Prighozin's series of targeted videos over the months, particularly during Wagner's active period in Bakhmut. 

Prigozhin said the letter that he wrote to the Investigative Committee and the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation will not be published and the authorities "will deal with this." 

The mercenary leader also confirmed that an Iraqi citizen fighting with Wagner was killed in Ukraine in April in a separate statement. 

Russian cyclist barred from races for lack of Ukraine war neutrality

Two Russian track cyclists who won medals at the Tokyo Olympics were ruled ineligible to race on Wednesday for breaching rules monitoring their neutrality during the war on Ukraine.

Anastasiia Voinova and Mariya Novolodskaya cannot race in International Cycling Union (UCI) events from June, the governing body said in a document posted on its website. 

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The world championships will be held in August in Glasgow, Scotland.

Kin Cheung/Copyright 2017 The AP. All rights reserved.
Russian track cyclist Anastasiia Voinova holds her third place medal in the women's 500m time trial at the World Track Cycling championships in Hong Kong, 2017.Kin Cheung/Copyright 2017 The AP. All rights reserved.

“This ineligibility will apply for as long as the ‘ad hoc rules’ regarding Russia and Belarus remain in force,” the UCI said in the document without detailing the breaches.

The UCI can deny neutral status to riders or officials “who are or have been contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military” or have shown support for the war in interviews or social media posts. 

Taking part in pro-war demonstrations or displaying the “Z” symbol that is associated with the invasion of Ukraine can also result in automatic disqualification.

Russian oil refineries attacked by drones

Drones attacked two Russian oil refineries situated near one of the country's biggest oil ports on Wednesday, sparking a fire in one of them, according to local officials.

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The oil refineries are situated just 65-80 kilometres east of the Novorossiisk port, which handles about 1.5% of all global oil supplies.

One drone struck Krasnodar region's Afipsky refinery, starting a fire which was later brought under control, Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said.

Another drone attacked the Ilsky refinery, just 65 kilometres from Novorossiisk. No significant damage was done to the refinery, which processes 3 million tonnes of oil annually.

Russia has accused Ukraine of ramping up drone strikes in its territory, although there has been no information from either side about the refinery attacks. Ukraine has often denied attacking the Russian mainland or Russian-occupied parts of its own territory.

Oil refineries and ports have been frequent air strike targets ever since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.

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