Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the country’s military in his evening address on Wednesday for a “precise strike” on Dzhankoi, a Russian military airfield in occupied Crimea.
According to media reports, the early-morning strike resulted in a fire at the airfield, with explosions reported in the town of Dzhankoi.
Zelenskyy singled out Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, to thank him for “organizing this operation.”
Dzhankoi, in northern Crimea, was annexed by Russia in 2014.
Elsewhere Wednesday, Russia downed at least eight airborne targets over the city of Belgorod, near the border with Ukraine, regional officials said. It was not immediately clear if anyone was hurt in the incidents.
Also, Ukrainian officials said a Russian missile attack hit the northern city of Chernihiv, killing at least 17 people and injuring 61 others.
Vyacheslav Chaus, the regional governor, said several missiles struck near the center of the city.
“There are victims among civilians and many injured,” Chaus said.
Zelenskyy issued condolences for the victims on social media and reiterated his call for allies to provide Ukraine with aid to defend itself from Russia’s missile and drone attacks.
“This would not have happened if Ukraine had received a sufficient number of air defense systems and if the world's determination to counter Russian terror had been sufficient,” Zelenskyy said. “Terrorists can only destroy lives if they first intimidate those who can stop terror and save lives. Determination matters. Support matters.”
Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Tuesday that he would request a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council “to discuss the protection of the skies, the supply of anti-aircraft warfare, relevant systems and missiles.”
Zelenskyy has in recent days drawn comparisons to the multinational effort to defend Israel from an Iranian drone and missile attack.
In his Tuesday address he cited comments by officials from other countries who drew distinctions between the conflicts. Zelenskyy said the Iranian-made Shahed drones are the same, as are the human lives involved.
Russia’s defense ministry reported Wednesday destroying a Ukrainian drone over the Mordovia region, and another drone over Tatarstan.
G7 talks
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is joining his counterparts from the Group of Seven leading industrial nations for talks in Italy, where the State Department said he will discuss U.S. concerns about China’s support for Russia’s defense industrial base.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters on Tuesday that over the past months, the United States has observed materials being transferred from China to Russia. Russia is using the materials to rebuild its defense industrial base and produce arms that are showing up on the battlefield in Ukraine.
"We are incredibly concerned about that," Miller said.
The United States has long communicated its concerns to China about any actions that could support Russia's war in Ukraine, U.S. officials say. This includes not only direct military support but also steps taken by Chinese companies to reconstitute Russia's defense industrial base.
"The secretary does plan to travel to China in the coming weeks," Miller added. "That is an issue that he would be expected to raise."
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters
