Ukraine Is Hit by Deadly Russian Strikes As Western Pressure on Moscow Increases

As the United States and other Western allies increased pressure on Moscow, officials said Saturday that Russia had carried out nighttime drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, killing four people and injuring 20 others in Kyiv and many other places.

“A repeated missile strike on the Petropavlivska community in the Dnipropetrovsk region resulted in the death of one rescuer and the wounding of another,” said Ukraine’s internal affairs ministry.

The ministry reported damage to fire engines, homes, and stores in the eastern area, where another lady was killed and seven others were wounded. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said Moscow attacked the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, killing two people.

According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia launched 62 attack drones and nine Iskander-M ballistic missiles, while it also shot down 50 drones and four ballistic missiles.

Russian Oil Is Sanctioned by the US and UK
Amid US President Donald Trump’s mounting annoyance with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the United States this week placed sanctions on Russian oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil in an attempt to pressure Moscow to end its conflict in Ukraine.

Following UK finance minister Rachel Reeves’ visit to the US, sanctions were placed on Rosneft and Lukoil. The UK also targeted Rosneft-controlled Nayara Energy, a Russian-owned refinery in India. The European Union has already imposed sanctions on Nayara.

The sanctions are a component of Western nations’ strategy to increase pressure on Russia’s energy exports. The largest consumers of Russian oil at the reduced rates that Moscow has been had to provide after losing sales to Europe as a result of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine are China and India.

President Donald Trump of the United States has often voiced his mounting annoyance with Russian President Vladimir Putin for his refusal to accept a ceasefire. In the face of US sanctions, Putin has maintained his defiance and said that he would not give in to pressure.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however, applauded the ruling and called on the United States to expand sanctions on Russian oil. “The US President made a very wise decision by imposing sanctions on two Russian energy corporations. Everyone in the Coalition of the Willing agreed today that this is the best way to keep the pressure on Russian oil going,” he added.