kyiv under strike, two dead in Russia

2023-06-02 10:02:11

► kyiv hit by Russian drones

A new salvo of drones hit kyiv early Friday, June 2, without causing any casualties, according to the mayor of the capital, Vitali Klitschko. “Explosions in kyiv, new wave of drones during a nationwide air alert from 03:23 to 04:23 local time, no casualties reported at this stage”announced Vitali Klitschko on Telegram.

“Last night the enemy used 15 cruise missiles (type to be specified) and 18 Iranian attack drones”Shahed” for strikes – all these air targets were destroyed by our defenders”assured the Ukrainian army.

► Moscow says it has “touched” anti-aircraft defense systems

The Russian army said on Friday that it had bombed and ” hit “ overnight air defense systems in Ukraine.

“Overnight, the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out a combined strike, with high-precision, long-range weaponry from the air, on enemy air defense systems covering key military infrastructure”the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement, claiming to have reached “all” the targets.

► Two dead in bombings around Belgorod, Russia

Two civilians were killed and two wounded in a Ukrainian bombardment on the Russian region of Belgorod, bordering Ukraine, said Friday the governor of this territory subjected to repeated strikes in recent days.

“Shrapnel hit passing cars. In one of them, two women (…) died on the spot of their injuries”, said on Vyacheslav Gladkov. He said the shots hit a road in the village of Maslova Pristan located a few kilometers from the town of Chebekino, bordering Ukraine and hit by heavy gunfire this week.

According to the governor, other localities in the region were hit by Ukrainian fire which caused material damage but no casualties.

► The invasion of Ukraine is a “strategic failure” for Putin, says Blinken

The war in Ukraine is a ” failure “ for Russia, said Friday the head of the American diplomacy Antony Blinken in Helsinki.

“(Putin’s) war of aggression was a strategic failure, drastically diminishing Russia’s military, economic and diplomatic might and influence for years to come”he said in this speech delivered in Finland, at the very new member of theI’ll take it.

► Ukrainian drones shot down near Kursk

Several Ukrainian drones were shot down by Russian air defense near Kursk, a city near the border with Ukraine, the governor of the region announced early Friday morning.

“Last night, several Ukrainian drones were shot down by an air defense system near Kursk”said Roman Starovoyt on Telegram.

► Switzerland: the lower house opposes the transfer to Ukraine of weapons manufactured in the country

The lower house of the Swiss parliament on Thursday rejected a proposal that aimed to authorize the transfer of arms manufactured in Switzerland to Ukraine. The National Council voted against this proposal presented by a parliamentary committee.

Jean-Luc Addor, of the Democratic Union of the Centre, a right-wing populist party – which has the most seats in the National Council – told the Council that“accepting this initiative means committing to one of the protagonists (…) Therefore violating neutrality”.

Historically, Switzerland, a country of 8.9 million inhabitants, maintains a position of neutrality. But one debate on this topic agitated Switzerland since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.