Rescue crews in Ukraine are still working to reach victims under debris after a Russian missile hit an apartment building in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro this weekend.
The strike killed at least 40 people — making it one of the deadliest single attacks of the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the attack a “war crime.”
Meantime, the UN nuclear watchdog is working on setting up a permanent presence at all of Ukraine’s nuclear power facilities.
Here are the top headlines:
- Dnipro attack: The Russian strike on a residential building in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro has killed 40 people, including three children, and injured 75 others, emergency services said Monday. The core of that building is now gone, transformed into a mountain of jumbled concrete. Apartments were sliced in half when the missile – with a warhead of nearly one metric ton – penetrated all the way to the basement. Rescuers have removed 8,500 metric tons of debris in an effort to reach victims.
- Russia denies targeting apartments: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Dnipro strike was the result of counter-missiles and air defense, contradicting Ukraine’s claims that a Russian Kh-22 missile was used. In response to a question about the attack, Peskov said the Russian Armed Forces only strike “against military targets, whether they are obvious or disguised,” and not at residential buildings.
- Ongoing fighting in Soledar: Russian fighters from the Wagner private military company appear to have captured the main train station west of Soledar, the town in the Donetsk region over which Russia appeared to have largely established control last week, according to a video posted on Wagner’s Telegram channel. Ukrainian and Russian authorities have not commented on the claim. But, the Ukrainian Armed Forces Eastern Group said fighting is ongoing, with a spokesperson saying, “Ukraine maintains its positions in the town.”
- Patriot training: Ukrainian troops have arrived at Fort Sill in Oklahoma to begin training on the Patriot missile system, the US Army base announced Monday. The training will take “several months” on the advanced but complex long-range aerial defense system, according to Pentagon officials.
- Ukraine’s nuclear power plants: The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency was at the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant to mark the permanent presence of the nuclear watchdog at the site. While the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant already has IAEA team members on location, experts will also be stationed at the Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant in western Ukraine in “the coming days.” The director of the IAEA will also visit the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant, as well as Chernobyl.
- Pressure on Germany: Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki is calling on the German government to supply “all sorts of weapons” to Ukraine. It comes after the resignation of German Minister of Defense Christine Lambrecht. She has faced criticism as Germany is under increasing pressure to ramp up military support for Kyiv, which has been insignificant compared to support from other Western allies during her time as minister.
- Belarus-Russia aviation drills: Joint military aviation drills involving Belarusian and Russian forces are underway, the Belarusian defense ministry said. The exercises are taking place on Belarusian territory and the main goal is to “increase operational compatibility in the joint performance of combat training missions,” said the ministry. Kyiv has, for some time, warned that Russia may once again attempt an invasion of Ukraine from Belarus.
