13:07 USA correspondent: Doubts grow about further support for Ukraine
12:39 Intelligence service and UN: Kinder hospital directly hit by Russian rocket - Moscow denies
Following the impact of a projectile into a children's hospital in Kiev, Russia and Ukraine are disputing ownership. The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) claims, based on their own evidence, that the children's hospital was directly struck by a Russian Kh-101 Kalibr rocket. The analysis of the flight path and the nature of the damage suggest a direct hit, according to the SBU. The SBU also presented images of a rocket engine fragment that was allegedly found at the impact site. The United Nations (UN) shares this assessment: "The analysis of the video material and an on-site assessment indicate a high probability that the children's hospital suffered a direct hit and not from a weapon system interception," explains the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission leader in Ukraine. At the time of the attack, approximately 670 children were being treated in the clinic, and about 1000 employees were present, according to Bell. However, Moscow claims that a Ukrainian ground-to-air missile defense system of the NASAMS type was responsible. The US and Norway developed this western air defense system. Even if the Russian claim is true: Ukraine uses these western air defense systems to counter permanent Russian air attacks on civilian targets.
11:50 "Friend of India": Modi courts Putin in Moscow
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has praised the relationship between his country and Russia and lauded President Vladimir Putin. Modi made these comments during a visit to Moscow. "Our bilateral relationship is based on mutual trust and mutual respect," Modi said. He also highlighted Putin's leadership qualities. "Every Indian considers Russia as a friend of India, in good times and in bad." India imports oil, gas, and military equipment from Russia. Several western countries had urged Modi to distance India more from Russia. However, trade between the two countries continues to grow. On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had stated regarding the Russian rocket attacks on Kiev: "It is a great disappointment and a devastating blow for peace efforts that the leader of the world's largest democracy embraces the bloodiest war criminal of the world on such a day in Moscow."
11:15 Ukraine could lose F-16 fighter jets before first use
10:48 Moscow to closely monitor NATO summit
Russia plans to closely monitor the NATO summit, according to its own statements. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized this and referred to the fact that NATO declared Russia an enemy to be defeated. The Russian government considers NATO involved in the Ukraine conflict, according to Peskow. Speaking to journalists, he added that the leaders of the 32 NATO member states are meeting today for a three-day summit in Washington. Support for Ukraine in its defense against the Russian attack war is a primary focus. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also expected in the US capital.
10:39 Europe not prepared for Trump re-election: Expert
10:05 Awakening against Russia: Poland receives a Two-Billion-Dollar-Credit for US Weapon PurchasesPoland is one of the most political and military allies of Ukraine and at the same time the borderland of NATO: Thousands of kilometers of border separates the country from the Russian exclave Kaliningrad and the Russian vassal state Belarus. According to US government announcements, Poland is to receive a two billion US dollar special credit to support its armament program. With this, the government in Warsaw plans to buy F-35 fighter jets, Patriot air defense systems, and Abrams combat tanks. Washington assumes responsibility for the up to 60 million dollars in interest costs. In this way, the US government supports the Polish large orders in its own arms industry.
08:42 Attack on Kiev: Body of a Boy Recovered, Number of Killed Children RisingRescue workers have found the body of a boy in the ruins of a house in Kiev. The Ukrainian Interior Ministry reported this to "Kyiv Independent". With this, the number of those killed in Kiev on Monday by the Russian air raid rose to 27, including now four children. 117 more people were injured. According to Ministry reports, rescue teams are still active at three locations in the capital.
08:30 Ukrainian Partisans Report Successful Sabotage of Russian RailwayThe Ukrainian partisan group Atesh reports that it has disrupted an important railway connection between Russia and the occupied Ukrainian territories. A switch box was destroyed, according to the group's announcement on its Telegram channel. A video is also shown, which shows a burning switch box next to a railway track. The sabotage action is said to have taken place near the Russian settlement of Schachty. The rails are reportedly leading from Rostov am Don in the direction of the occupied Mariupol. The railway lines are crucial for the supply of the Russian troops with new equipment. Both the Ukrainian army and Ukrainian partisans are therefore taking targeted action against railway lines. Atesh reports that it is active not only in the occupied territories but also within Russia.
07:55 Ukraine Claims to Have Eliminated Over 1200 Soldiers in a DayIn its daily reports, the Ukrainian General Staff reports that it has inflicted losses of 1220 soldiers on the invaders. In addition, seven Russian tanks, 19 armored personnel carriers, 49 artillery pieces, 29 drones, and 36 missile launchers were destroyed from Russian territory. These figures cannot be verified. The number of 553,410 Russian military personnel killed, injured, or otherwise rendered unable to fight, however, is significantly higher than the more cautious estimates of Western services and think tanks.
07:37 Russia Reports Four Dead after Ukrainian AttacksAccording to official announcements, at least four people were killed in Ukrainian attacks on the Russian border region Belgorod within 24 hours. Another 20 people were injured, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported on Telegram. The past 24 hours were "restless" and "difficult", Gladkov added further. Of the injured, 17 had to be hospitalized, two were severely injured. Attacks were also reported from other western Russian regions, such as Kursk and Volgograd.
07:22 Over 2000 Children Seek Refuge from Russian Attacks in Kiev's Subway
During the massive rocket attacks on Kiev on Monday, according to the city administration, 32,000 people sought shelter in the low-lying U-Bahn tunnels. Among them were reportedly almost 2200 children. The Ukrainian capital is regularly attacked by Russia. In the past few months, more rockets have gotten through due to the limited ammunition of western air defense systems and their increasing inability to effectively counteract.
06:50 "Dirty Bastards": At least Two Dead after Attack on Children's Hospital in Kiev
The strikes on a Kiev children's hospital during a Russian rocket attack reportedly caused 16 injuries, including seven children. Two of the injured reportedly died. According to Health Minister Viktor Lyashko, departments for dialysis, cancer treatment, operating rooms, and the intensive care unit were damaged in the hospital on Monday. Hundreds of residents helped rescue workers clear debris and search for victims. "Little cancer and dialysis patients are sitting on the sidewalk with their mothers," reported German Ambassador Martin Jäger on X about a visit to the hospital.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed rocket attacks, allegedly targeting Ukrainian munitions factories and military airfields. However, videos from Kiev showed that the damages were caused by a Ukrainian air defense rocket, they claimed without evidence. The Moscow Military dismissed the Ukrainian reports of damage to a second hospital on the other side of the Dnipro as "hysteria of the Kiev regime."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denies Russian claims that the attacks were due to a Ukrainian air defense error. "What cynicism the scumbags in the Kremlin brought to light, that it was allegedly the Ukrainian air defense and not a targeted rocket strike that killed and injured many people," he said at a press conference with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw. Zelenskyy thanked all those who posted videos online "on which it is clearly visible that it is not just a part of a certain rocket, but a direct rocket strike that killed and injured many people."
06:19 Germany Provides Ukraine with More Munition and Air Defense Systems
The German government has made additional military supplies available to Ukraine for its defense against the Russian attack war. According to the updated list of delivered military goods, the promised third Patriot air defense system has arrived. New on the list are also additional ammunition for the 50 Leopard 1 tanks provided together with Denmark, 11,000 additional rounds of ammunition for the 52 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks, and two TRML-4D air surveillance radars.
05:43 Attack on Russia: Power Plant in Rostov-on-Don is on Fire
In the South Russian region of Rostov, according to Russian reports, a fire broke out at an electricity substation due to a Ukrainian drone attack. "Two transformers have caught fire," Governor Vasili Golubev reported via the Telegram short-news service. The Russian air defense shot down "numerous" Ukrainian drones. Golubev did not mention the exact number of drones used or repelled. The border region with Ukraine has been the target of repeated attacks in the past.
04:31 FDP politician Faber defends the Defense MinistryFDP politician and new chairman of the Defense Committee, Marcus Faber, refutes criticism of the only slight increase in the Defense Ministry's budget in 2025. "One should not forget that the Defense Ministry budget, unlike most other ministries, has actually increased," Faber told the Augsburger Allgemeine. If one adds the special fund of 100 billion euros and further investments in the troops, it amounts to 140 billion euros. "That can be seen, even if one wishes it were more."
03:25 UN Human Rights Commissioner condemns attack on Kiev hospitalUN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Turk condemned the attacks on a children's clinic in the Ukrainian capital Kiev as "despicable." They had severely damaged the Intensive Care, surgical, and oncology departments of the Ochmatdyt Children's Hospital, Turk explained. The Dialysis Department of the Clinic was "destroyed." "Among the victims were the sickest children in Ukraine."
02:05 Biden announces support for Kiev at NATO summitUS President Joe Biden announced new measures to strengthen Ukraine's air defense following attacks with Russian rockets that killed 36 people. The USA and its allies would announce this new support at a NATO summit in Washington this week, Biden said. He described the rocket attacks on Ukraine as a "horrific reminder of Russia's brutality" in the war that began in February 2022.
01:05 Kiesewetter: Defense Ministry disappointed soldiersIn the debate on defense spending, CDU defense expert Roderich Kiesewetter calls for a new definition of prosperity. "It's disappointing and a letdown for the soldiers that the federal government can't prioritize the Bundeswehr in the budget planning," Kiesewetter told the Funke Media Group newspapers. This shows that "the turning point in the Chancellor's mindset" has not yet arrived, and Olaf Scholz refuses to spend more on defense in the face of the threat situation. "It's also necessary to redefine prosperity - away from an individual interpretation, towards social resilience and readiness to defend." Earlier, the defense budget accounted for five or six percent of the country's economic output. "It is possible to prioritize if the political will is there," Kiesewetter said. A continuously increasing defense budget should aim for three percent of the Gross National Product.
00:01 Green and FDP announce increase in Pistorius-Estate budget
In light of the budget negotiations in the Bundestag, Green budget politician Sebastian Schäfer, who is also the deputy chief of the Bundestag committee for the Federal Defense Special Fund, announced adjustments to defense spending. Although the coalition's leaders from the Traffic Light Coalition provide "a decent working basis for parliamentary budget negotiations," Schäfer told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND), there will be numerous and significant changes. In particular, in the field of security and defense policy, there are great needs that will be taken into account in the parliamentary procedure, according to the Green. Defence policy spokesperson for the FDP, Alexander Müller, is also open to further adjustments in favor of the defense budget.
22:16 Wreckage falls on clinic - seven deadA wreckage of a rocket fell on a hospital in Kiev and killed five doctors and two patients. According to "Ukrainska Pravda," it was the ADONIS Clinic in the Dniprowskyi district that was affected. A Russian rocket attack also shattered windows in a private maternity clinic in the same building.
22:10 Insider: Scholz to make clear statement at NATO summitThe NATO summit from Tuesday to Thursday, according to information from German government circles, will send a "clear message" of support for Ukraine. Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz will make this clear to the 32 NATO state and government heads, according to a government representative.
21:56 Schmyhal: Looking for alternative location for hospitalThe Ukrainian government is looking for an alternative location for the attacked children's hospital. Premier Minister Denys Schmyhal made this known. The attack will be a topic of the next cabinet meeting. "We hope our international partners will draw their own conclusions," Schmyhal was quoted as saying by "Kyiv Independent." "We need effective responses to Russian terror."
You can read about earlier developments here.
- In response to the UN's assessment, Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, criticized Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for meeting with Vladimir Putin, stating it was a "great disappointment" and a "devastating blow for peace efforts."
- The NATO summit is being closely monitored by Russia, with Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov stating that NATO is involved in the Ukraine conflict according to Russian views.
- During the NATO summit, President Biden announced new measures to strengthen Ukraine's air defense following attacks with Russian rockets that killed 36 people.
- The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) presented evidence that they believe shows a direct hit on a children's hospital in Kiev by a Russian Kh-101 Kalibr rocket, contradicting Russian claims that a Ukrainian ground-to-air missile defense system was responsible.
- The United Nations (UN) human rights monitor in Ukraine shared the SBU's assessment, stating that the video material and on-site assessment indicate a high probability that the children's hospital suffered a direct hit, not an interception of a weapon system.
