At least 20 people were killed in Russian strikes on Ukraine, said the officials on Saturday after a decision by the US to stop sharing satellite images with Kyiv.
The decision to withhold intelligence and military aid came on the heels of the dramatic spat between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump.
In the absence of satellite imagery by the US, Ukraine’s ability to strike inside Russia and defend itself from bombardment is significantly reduced.
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Over 20 Killed In Multiple Strikes
Multiple strikes by Russia on a town in Ukraine’s embattled Donetsk region killed at least 11 people while 40 more were injured, said regional Gov. Vadym Filashkin, reported Associated Press.
Eight apartment blocks in the town of Dobropillya, lost to the front where Russian troops have been making steady advances, were also damaged in the strikes.
A drone also damaged a Ukrainian fire truck while rescuers fought to extinguish the burning buildings, said Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.
In the front-line towns of Pokrovsk, Kostyantynivka, Myrnograd and Ivanopillya, six other people were killed in the Russian strikes, Filashkin said. Emergency service reported that three other people died when a Russian drone hit a civilian workshop in the northeastern Kharkiv region.
The regional Governor declared Saturday a day of mourning and warned that more victims could still be found in the rubble.
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Vile, Inhumane Intimidation Tactic: Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said that the destruction in Dobropillya was caused by a ballistic missile strike. “Last night, the Russian army fired two ballistic missiles at the centre of Dobropillya,” he said.
“After emergency services arrived at the scene, they launched another strike, deliberately targeting rescuers. It is a vile and inhumane intimidation tactic to which the Russians often resort.”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk slammed the strikes by Russia as the result of “what happens when someone appeases barbarians”.
“More bombs, more aggression, more victims. Another tragic night in Ukraine,” Tusk said in a social media post.
