Ukraine’s military said on Thursday that its strikes are aimed solely at Russian military and energy infrastructure, following claims from Russian authorities that a drone attack killed civilians in southern Ukraine’s Kherson region.
A spokesperson for the Ukrainian General Staff told Interfax Ukraine that all operations comply with international humanitarian law and are directed at legitimate targets such as military positions and energy facilities.
"The Defence Forces of Ukraine adhere to the norms of international humanitarian law and strike exclusively at enemy military targets, fuel and energy facilities of the Russian Federation, and other legitimate targets...," Interfax quoted the spokesperson as saying.
The spokesperson did not comment directly on Russian reports of a strike on a hotel and café in the village of Khorly, a Russian-controlled area on the Black Sea coast, but said all Ukrainian strikes are published on the military’s social media accounts.
Russian-installed authorities in Kherson reported that the alleged drone attack killed at least 24 people, including a child, and injured approximately 50 others. Vladimir Saldo, the region’s Russia-appointed governor, said three drones struck the hotel and café during New Year celebrations, and claimed one of the drones carried an incendiary device that caused a fire. Saldo described the strike as deliberate against civilians. Photographs circulated by Russian media purport to show the aftermath, including damaged buildings and casualties, though Reuters has not independently verified these images or casualty numbers.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry and senior politicians condemned the incident, describing it as a “terrorist attack” and a potential war crime. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, said Moscow would pursue retaliation against those involved.
Kherson is one of four regions claimed by Russia in 2022, a move widely rejected by Kyiv and most Western governments as illegal.
The incident occurred amid a broader rise in drone attacks by both sides. Ukraine has reported strikes on the Ilsky oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai and the Almetevskaya oil preparation facility in Tatarstan. Ukraine also said Russia launched a large-scale drone attack on energy infrastructure in several regions, leaving over 200,000 households temporarily without power.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted video footage of Russian drone attacks and said the strikes were “deliberate” attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Ukrainian officials denied targeting civilian areas.
The situation remains under verification as authorities continue to assess casualties and damage.
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A U.S. submarine strike sank an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, leaving at least 80 dead, the country&...
The election of Iran’s next supreme leader could provide an opportunity to end the ongoing regional war involving Israel, the U.S. and ...
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the United States is making gains in its conflict with Iran after a key I...
The U.S. Department of Defense has released a video of a submarine strike on an Iranian warship off the southern Sri Lankan coast. At least 80 peop...
A U.S. submarine strike sank an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, leaving at least 80 dead, the country’s deputy foreign minister said. Meanwhile, Iran postponed the funeral of its late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to state media.
The election of Iran’s next supreme leader could provide an opportunity to end the ongoing regional war involving Israel, the U.S. and Iran, Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the United States is making gains in its conflict with Iran after a key Iranian naval target was destroyed, confirming that the strike was carried out by a U.S. submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka. Rescue efforts are now under way for the ship’s crew.
The U.S. Department of Defense has released a video of a submarine strike on an Iranian warship off the southern Sri Lankan coast. At least 80 people died in the U.S. attack on the vessel, Sri Lanka's Deputy Foreign Minister said.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military has enough stockpiled weapons to fight wars "forever"; in a social media post late on Monday. The remarks came hours before conflict in Iran and the Middle East entered its fourth day.
U.S. first lady, Melania Trump chaired a UN Security Council meeting on children and education in conflict on Monday (2 March), a move criticised by Iran as hypocritical following U.S. and Israeli strikes that triggered a UN warning about risks to children.
A torpedo from a U.S. submarine sunk an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth told reporters as the Iranian conflcit entered its fifth day on Wednesday.
The U.S. embassy in Riyadh was hit by two drones resulting in a limited fire and some material damage, the kingdom's defence ministry said in a post on X on Tuesday, citing an initial assessment.
Shahid Motahari Sub-Speciality Hospital in northern Tehran and parts of the Golestan Palace were bombed on day two of the U.S.‑Israel strikes. AnewZ Touraj Shiralilou is in Iran's capital city and said that the facility was flattened in an airstrike.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the United States is making gains in its conflict with Iran after a key Iranian naval target was destroyed, confirming that the strike was carried out by a U.S. submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka. Rescue efforts are now under way for the ship’s crew.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 4th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Strikes across the Middle East are intensifying, fuelling travel disruption, driving up global energy prices and forcing diplomatic missions to shut their doors.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said the United States has a “virtually unlimited supply” of munitions and is capable of sustaining military action indefinitely, as the conflict with Iran entered its fourth day.
The United Nations has called for an investigation into a deadly attack on a girls’ primary school in Iran, which Iranian officials say has killed more than 100 children. The U.S. has said its forces “would not” deliberately target a school.
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