- Seven people including a 6-year-old child were killed and 90 wounded when a Russian missile struck a central square in the historic northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv.
- People had been on their way to church to celebrate a religious holiday when the strike took place, the ministry said, adding 12 of the wounded were children and 10 were police officers.
- Early on Saturday the Ukrainian military had shot down 15 out of 17 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Moscow in an overnight strike.
- Ukraine’s Zelenskiy visits Sweden to meet PM, royal family
- Sweden has been aiding Ukraine’s war efforts by supplying weapons such as tanks, anti-aircraft systems and armoured Type 90 infantry fighting vehicles.
- Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson said on Tuesday the government was planning a new $313.5 million military support package to Ukraine.
- The package will be Sweden’s 13th to Ukraine since the start of the war, taking the total value of the Nordic country’s aid to $1.8 billion.
Seven people including a 6-year-old child were killed and 90 wounded when a Russian missile struck a central square in the historic northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, the interior ministry said on Saturday.
People had been on their way to church to celebrate a religious holiday when the strike took place, the ministry said, adding 12 of the wounded were children and 10 were police officers. “An ordinary Saturday, which Russia turned into a day of pain and loss,” he added.
Chernihiv is a city of leafy boulevards and centuries-old churches about 145 km (90 miles) north of the capital Kyiv. The interior ministry said the roof of the drama theatre had been destroyed in the strike.
Russia has attacked Ukrainian cities far from the front line with missiles and drones as part of the invasion it launched in February last year. Kyiv’s air force said early on Saturday the Ukrainian military had shot down 15 out of 17 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Moscow in an overnight strike.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived in Sweden on Saturday to meet with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, the royal family and other officials as Kyiv’s counteroffensive against Russian forces grinds into its third month. The visit will start at Harpsund, the country retreat of Swedish prime ministers, about 120 kilometres from Sweden’s capital Stockholm.
Zelenskiy will also meet the speaker of Sweden’s parliament the Riksdag, the supreme commander of the Swedish armed forces, and the leaders of Sweden’s main political parties, according to a statement from the Swedish government.
Sweden has been aiding Ukraine’s war efforts by supplying weapons such as tanks, anti-aircraft systems and armoured Type 90 infantry fighting vehicles.
Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson said on Tuesday the government was planning a new $313.5 million military support package to Ukraine, consisting mainly of ammunition and spare parts to previously delivered weapon systems. The package will be Sweden’s 13th to Ukraine since the start of the war, taking the total value of the Nordic country’s aid to $1.8 billion.
Zelenskiy said he would thank Sweden for supporting Ukraine since the Russian invasion.
Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia will receive Zelenskiy and his wife Olena Zelenska at Stenhammar Palace as part of the visit. Zelenskiy and Prime Minister Kristersson will hold a joint press conference at Harpsund in the afternoon.
(With inputs from agencies)
