A missile (missile) attack in the center of a northern Ukrainian city killed seven people and injured dozens of others on Saturday (19/8). The attack came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made his first trip to Sweden since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year.
Quoting a Reuters report, the victims killed in the attack in the northern city of Chernihiv included a 6-year-old girl. Acting Mayor of Chernihiv, Oleksandr Lomako, also revealed that of the 117 injured, 12 of them were children.
Zelensky condemned the attack, which he said hit buildings including a theater and university.
“This is the environment with a terrorist state, this is why the whole world must unite. A Russian missile hit right in the center of the city, in our Chernihiv,” he wrote on Telegram. “Square, polytechnic university, theater. The Russians turned an ordinary Saturday into a day of suffering and loss.”
In Sweden, Zelenskyy met with officials at Harpsund, the prime minister’s official summer residence, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of Stockholm. He is also scheduled to meet Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia at a palace in the area.
At a joint press conference, Zelenskyy and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced that the two countries agreed to strengthen cooperation in the production, training and servicing of Sweden’s CV-90 infantry fighting vehicle.
As part of the agreement, said Zelenskyy, Swedish CV-90 vehicles will begin production in Ukraine. He also emphasized the importance of supplying Ukraine with modern aircraft.
On this occasion, Kristersson conveyed his condolences to Zelenskyy for the attack in Chernihiv. He called the Russian missile strike an “act of brutality” which “only strengthens our role to stand with [Ukraine] in all [Ukraine’s] struggles.”
Sweden has abandoned its policy of military non-alignment in favor of supporting Ukraine with arms and other aid in its war against Russia. The Swedish government says it has provided 20 billion kronor (Rp 28 trillion) in military support to Ukraine. Sweden has also applied for NATO membership but is still awaiting a decision on joining the alliance.
In Russia, President Vladimir Putin visited top military officials in the city of Rostov-on-Don near the Ukrainian border.
The Kremlin said that Putin listened to reports from Valery Gerasimov, the commander in charge of Moscow’s operations in Ukraine, and other military top brass at the headquarters of Russia’s Southern Military District.
The exact time of his visit was not confirmed, but state media published video footage, apparently filmed at night, showing Gerasimov greeting Putin and leading him into a building. The meeting itself was held behind closed doors.
Source : CNBC
