- At least seven people were killed as Russian missiles hit the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, destroying a popular hotel and apartments, Ukrainian officials say.
- US President Joe Biden’s administration is expected to announce $200m of new weapons for Ukraine, American officials tell the Reuters news agency.
- Poland’s defence ministry will send additional troops to the Belarus frontier after a request from border guards to fortify the crossing, the state-run news agency PAP reports.
Russian forces targeted a Ukrainian compound post in Pokrovsk
Russia’s defence ministry said forces hit a Ukrainian command post in Pokrovsk, known in Moscow as Krasnoarmeysk, the Russian Interfax news agency reported.
Ukrainian officials said Russian missiles had struck the city of Pokrovsk twice overnight, destroying a popular hotel and apartments, killing at least seven people and wounding multiple others.
Britain issues sanctions on 22 individuals and businesses
Britain has targeted individuals and businesses in Iran, Turkey, Dubai, Slovakia and Switzerland in its latest round of sanctions to hit Russia’s defence systems by cutting off access to foreign military equipment.
In a statement, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said, “Today’s landmark sanctions will further diminish Russia’s arsenal and close the net on supply chains propping up [President] Putin’s now struggling defence industry”.
The British government set out 22 new sanctions on individuals and businesses outside Russia and three Russian companies importing electronics which are used for Moscow’s military equipment.
Ukrainian official says support for Zelenskyy’s peace deal is growing
The head of Zelenskyy’s office, Andriy Yermak, says the meeting in Saudi Arabia over the weekend brought Ukraine closer to implementing its peace deal.
“With each step, the number of countries that unconditionally respect Ukraine’s independence, territorial integrity, sovereignty and are ready to work on a part or the whole of the peace formula is growing. And the isolation of Russia is growing as well,” he said.
Yermak also said that the involvement of China during the talks was “important” and thanked officials and Saudi Arabia for making it possible.
“The representative of China took an active part in the conversations and expressed his opinion. The main thing we heard from the Chinese representative is that China is ready to continue participating in this format,” he added.
President Zelenskyy posts footage of Pokrovsk damage
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted footage of the attack in Pokrovsk, showing the scale of damage to a residential building following Russia’s latest attack.
On X, formally known as Twitter, Zelenskyy wrote, “The city of Pokrovsk, Donetsk region. Donbas, from which Russia is trying to leave only broken and scorched stones. Two missile strikes. An ordinary residential building was hit. Unfortunately, there are victims. Rescuers and all necessary services are on the scene.
“The rescue of people continues. We have to stop the Russian terror. Everyone who fights for the freedom of Ukraine saves lives. Everyone in the world who helps Ukraine will defeat the terrorists together with us. Russia will be held accountable for everything it has done in this terrible war.”
Ukraine trying to regain positions in Kupiansk: Russia
The Russian defence ministry says Ukrainian troops are trying to regain positions in the Kupiansk direction, but forces repelled five attacks, the state news agency Tass reported.
Sergey Zybinsky, the head of the ‘West’ group’s press centre, said, “In the Kupiansk direction, the enemy is putting up stubborn resistance, striving to regain lost positions.
“During the day, units of the 14th separate mechanised brigade carried out five counterattacks on the positions of our troops in the area of the village of Sinkovka [Sinvivka], the Mankovka tract, the Usy forest,” Zybinsky said.
He added that all counterattacks were repelled.
“The losses of the enemy amounted to more than a platoon of manpower, one infantry fighting vehicle, one pick-up truck,” he said.
Poland to send additional troops to border with Belarus
Poland’s defence ministry has agreed to send additional troops to the Belarus border following a request from the border guard service, state-run news agency PAP reported.
Warsaw has been on high alert recently as Russian Wagner mercenary troops arrived in Belarus for training.
On Monday, the border guard service asked the defence ministry to send an additional 1,000 troops to the border amid increased attempts to cross the frontier illegally.
“Due to the dynamic situation on the Polish-Belarusian border … the minister of national defence ordered that the request be implemented and that additional soldiers be assigned to patrol the Polish-Belarusian border,” the defence ministry was quoted as saying by PAP.
US to announce $200m weapons aid to Ukraine
US President Joe Biden’s administration is expected to announce $200m of new weapons aid for Ukraine on Tuesday, officials told the Reuters news agency.
The additional aid comes as Washington distributes $6.2bn of funds discovered after a Pentagon accounting error over-valued billions of Ukraine aid.
The discovered funds represent the last of the previously congressionally authorised $25.5bn in Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) the administration can utilise to ship weapons from US stocks in an emergency, officials said.
The officials added that Tuesday’s expected announcement of $200m would be the first tranche of the $6.2bn windfall of previously authorised PDA.
‘At least seven people killed’ in Russian overnight attack on Pokrovsk
At least seven people were killed, and multiple others were wounded after a Russian missile attack hit a popular hotel and apartments in the city of Pokrovsk, in the Donetsk region, officials said.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said seven people, including five civilians, were killed.
“We are resuming clearing the rubble. At night, we were forced to suspend work due to the high threat of repeated shelling,” Klymenko said on Telegram.
According to witnesses, two missiles hit the centre of Pokrovsk within 40 minutes of each other.
Locals said the Druzhba (Friendship) Hotel was popular with journalists, aid workers and the military as one of the few still operating in the Donetsk region, near the front line.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA
