Vladimir Putin’s forces again defied Donald Trump and carried on killing in Ukraine overnight. Two died and five were injured in Russian strikes hitting a maternity hospital and a separate hospital ward in Kamianske, Dnipropetrovsk region.
Two women, one pregnant, are in a serious condition, with a total of four killed in the region. Separately, at least 16 died in an aerial bomb strike on a prison facility in Zaporizhzhia, with 35 wounded. The attack on the correctional colony with eight bombs also hit private houses, said Ivan Fedorov, governor of the war-battered region. Head of the Ukrainian president’s office, Andriy Yermak, called the strike “another war crime by the Russians”. He said: “The Putin regime, which through certain individuals also threatens the USA, must face economic and military strikes that will deprive it of the ability to wage war.”
The overnight strikes followed Trump setting a new deadline for Putin to stop the killing and end the war in Ukraine or face swingeing sanctions.
But Putin’s mouthpiece, Dmitry Medvedev – a loyalist who was the Russian president from 2008-2012 – threatened the White House that “each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with [Trump’s] own country.”
Putin’s state faced both rail and air delays today due to Ukrainian strikes on a key train route in the Rostov region and ongoing problems from a massive hack by Kyiv supporting groups on the state airline Aeroflot.
Ukrainian drones struck a military “resource base” and freight train in Salsk, Rostov region, exploding two wagons in a dramatic fire.
A passenger train was moved to a safe distance. Multiple trains reported delays – including those carrying tourists to Black Sea vacations.
“A fire train was sent to extinguish the fire,” said Russian Railways. “Train traffic through Salsk station has been suspended. Railway workers are doing everything possible to reduce the delay time of passenger trains.”
Salsk is a major railway hub in the southeast of the Rostov region. A driver died when his car was hit by a drone in the same region. Aeroflot continued to face delays with hundreds of flights now disrupted by a giant hack.
In Donetsk, there was a blackout after two dozen explosions from Ukrainian drone strikes on the Russian-occupied territory.
More than 150,000 were left without electricity in Donetsk, Makiivka and Yasynovata.