KIEV, UKRAINE (AP) – Widespread attacks by Russia continued in Ukraine after the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Children’s Rights Commissioner.
Ukraine was attacked by 16 Russian drones on Friday night, the Ukrainian Air Force said early Saturday morning. Air Force Command wrote in Telegram that 11 of the 16 drones had been shot down “in the central, western and eastern regions”.The affected areas included the capital Kiev and the western Lviv province.
Kiev city chief executive Serhiy Popko said Ukrainian air defenses had shot down all drones heading for the Ukrainian capital, while Lviv regional governor Maksim Kozhitsky said on Saturday that three of the six drones had been shot down. It was shot down and the remaining three planes encountered areas bordering Poland, he said. The Ukrainian Air Force said the attacks came from the east coast of the Sea of Azov and the Russian Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine.
The Ukrainian military also said in a regular update on Saturday morning that the Russian military had carried out 34 air strikes, one missile attack and 57 anti-aircraft fire over the past 24 hours. Falling debris hit southern Kherson province, damaging seven houses and a kindergarten, according to a Facebook update.
A Ukrainian statement said Russia remained focused on offensive operations in eastern Ukraine’s industrial zone, focusing on attacks on Raiman, Bakhmut, Avdiuka, Marinka and Shakhtarsk in Donetsk provinces in eastern Ukraine. there is Pablo Kirilenko, Regional Governor Donetsk oblast said 11 towns and villages in the province were shelled on Friday, killing one person and injuring three others.
Further west, on Friday night, a Russian missile hit a residential area in the city of Zaporizhia, the capital of the partially occupied province of the same name. Zaporizhia city council member Anatoly Kultev said no casualties were reported, but that houses were damaged and catering establishments were destroyed.
The International Criminal Court on Friday issued an arrest warrant for Putin on suspicion of war crimes and said he, along with Russian Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova Belova, were held personally responsible for kidnapping a child from Ukraine.
It is the first time the World Court has issued an arrest warrant for the leader of one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. Russia quickly dismissed the move, but Ukraine hailed it as a major breakthrough.
However, since Moscow does not recognize the jurisdiction of the courts and does not extradite its own citizens, Putin is highly unlikely to be tried in his ICC, so its practical impact may be limited.
A British military official said on Saturday that Russia is likely to expand conscription. The British Defense Ministry said in its latest intelligence report that members of the Russian House of Commons, the lower house of the Russian parliament, introduced a bill on Monday to change the conscription age for men from the current 18-27 to 21-30.
According to the ministry, now many men between the ages of 18 and he are 21 are applying for exemption from military service due to their higher education. This change ultimately means that we must continue to serve. The law has been passed and is expected to take effect in January 2024, he said.
