Ukraine reports for the first time the downing of a long-range strategic bomber. Two people die in an attack in southern Ukraine.
A residential building destroyed in Dnipro after a Russian attack Photo: rtr
kyiv reports that a Russian fighter plane was shot down
The Ukrainian military claims to have shot down a Russian fighter jet. The military said on Friday it had shot down, for the first time since the start of the war, a Tu-22M3 long-range strategic bomber that Russia was using to launch cruise missile attacks on Ukrainian cities. The plane was destroyed by air defense units of the Air Force in cooperation with the Ukrainian military intelligence service. (dpa)
Dead after attack on Dnipropetrov region
k
According to authorities, the industrially important region of Dnipropetrovsk in southern Ukraine was massively bombed from the air by Russia on Friday night. At least two people were killed and 15 injured in the regional capital Dnipro, Governor Serhiy Lyssak said on Telegram. A five-story residential building and two infrastructure properties were affected. The state-owned company claimed that the target was Ukrainian railway facilities. Dnipro's main train station is closed and long-distance trains are being diverted.
According to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, six people died in the town of Synelnykove, including two children. Several single-family homes were affected. According to authorities, a factory in Pavlohrad and an infrastructure facility in Krivyi Rih were damaged. According to Governor Lyssak, the anti-aircraft defense over the Dnipropetrovsk region was able to shoot down nine Russian missiles, but not all. Dnieper and other cities in the region have been home to aircraft and rocket factories, as well as other weapons factories, since Soviet times. (dpa)
Zelenskyj thanks German help
After Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck's visit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj thanked Germany for its continued support in the defensive war against Russia. “We appreciate Germany's leadership role, which not only helps us in Ukraine to protect lives, but also all of Europe, to preserve the same Europe that knows how to live in peace, knows the law and knows how to take care of people.” . Zelensky said in his daily video address on Thursday. The conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine scheduled for June in Berlin will focus mainly on bilateral projects in the defense and energy sectors, he announced.
The NATO-Ukraine Council will meet on Friday at the request of kyiv. Zelensky said that he discussed with Habeck the situation on the front and the needs of the Ukrainian army, particularly in terms of air defense. In a separate entry on Telegram, he also praised the federal government's decision to send another Patriot anti-aircraft system. Meanwhile, on the sidelines of an EU summit, Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for the delivery of six more Patriots from other NATO countries. Ukraine is severely suffering from Russian attacks with drones, missiles and gliding bombs. (dpa)
Poland: Arrest for planned assassination attempt on Zelensky
A man has been arrested in Poland for an alleged assassination attempt on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. As the prosecutor's office announced on Thursday, the Polish citizen is accused of transmitting information to Russian military intelligence and of “helping Russian special forces plan a possible assassination attempt” against Zelensky.
According to Polish investigators, the man said he was “willing to act on behalf of the military intelligence services of the Russian Federation.” And he “established contact with Russian citizens who are directly involved in the war in Ukraine.” Therefore, the accused is detained. As investigators in Poland explained in more detail, they were informed about the man's activities by their Ukrainian colleagues.
This allowed them to collect “important evidence.” According to Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin, Russia allegedly tasked the defendant “to collect information on the security of the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport and transmit it to the aggressor state.” (afp)