This morning, the Russians struck a regular intercity minibus near Nikopol with an FPV drone. As of now, five people have been reported killed, and seven others are receiving medical care. No military rationale, just another atrocity. My condolences to the families and loved ones… Russian attacks on logistics and critical infrastructure continue unabated – the locomotive of a regular passenger train was struck in the Mykolaiv region. A railway station and a diesel locomotive were damaged, but the Ukrzaliznytsia team handled the situation well – they warned people in time, and no one was hurt. Nearly 170 passengers were evacuated. An electric locomotive in Kovel was also struck. In Kyiv, firefighting efforts have been ongoing since last night. The Kherson, Donetsk, and Poltava regions also came under attack. Every one of these strikes affects the lives of ordinary people, who must be protected by forcing Russia to stop its asinine war. And gifts to the aggressor in the form of eased sanctions will certainly do nothing to advance peace. And right now, in these very days, the United States Congress is considering an important Lindsey Graham bill that could send the right signals and help take the right steps toward genuine peace. Discussions are also underway in the EU on extending sanctions against Russia for its war. When such savage Russian killings occur every day, it is important that sanctions measures in response to the war be strong. This is not the time to ease the pressure. Now is the time to do everything to ensure that diplomacy succeeds through strength. I thank everyone who understands this and is helping.

Russia continues to attack our energy sector, regular logistics, and critical infrastructure. And our responses to them for this are tangible. There are new results from the Defense Forces of Ukraine regarding the refinery in Syzran. There was also a strike in Taganrog on a drone production facility, as well as on a drone preparation and launch site in the Oryol region. Targets were hit in the Black Sea as well. I thank every one of our warriors for the effectiveness of our long-range sanctions! The day before, the United States also announced a significant decision regarding Russia’s VTB Bank – one of Russia’s systemic banks, which is heavily involved in schemes supporting Russia’s war and, in particular, its relations with the Iranian regime. All such schemes that work against peace truly need to be dismantled. I thank our partners for this useful step! There is no alternative to ending this war. And all forms of pressure on Russia must create the right diplomatic conditions. Glory to Ukraine!

This week alone, Russia launched around 2,100 drones against Ukraine – a significant share of them jet-powered “shaheds,” which the Russians are using in an attempt to cripple the economy and destroy people’s lives. The enemy also used nearly 1,700 guided aerial bombs and 78 missiles of various types. Last night and this morning, energy facilities, Ukrzaliznytsia, businesses, and ordinary residential buildings came under attack. Odesa was attacked with missiles and drones. Recovery efforts are ongoing in many western regions following the overnight strikes. In particular, all necessary services are working near the Polish-Ukrainian border in Volyn, where the Russians deliberately burned a train locomotive and damaged a gas station in a drone strike. It is precisely to prevent these strikes from spreading further into Europe that Ukrainian men and women fight every day, give their lives, and do not allow the aggression to expand. Russian terrorism is a common threat to many, but it definitely can and must be defeated in Ukraine. Thank you to everyone contributing to the protection of Ukraine’s skies and supporting our people.

Russian drone attacks continue throughout the day today, and “shaheds” are still in the sky right now. Nearly 500 attack drones have already been launched since morning. Essentially, the Russians have expanded this war from the front lines, where they cannot achieve success, into the economy, and their tactics are as primitive as they get – destroying every facility that can help people withstand the conditions of war. The Russians are burning warehouses with food and gas stations, pharmaceutical facilities and ordinary passenger trains, residential buildings and civilian businesses… Just in the past few days, they have struck a steel plant owned by an Indian business, an American company that produced sunflower oil, and a Polish company that manufactured plumbing fixtures. Russian attacks have targeted truck parking lots, ports, shopping malls, and energy infrastructure. Russia wants to kill the Ukrainian economy and, through that, break our resistance. And it is important that these Russian strikes be met not only with justified responses, but also with the necessary moral and political condemnation from our partners. (1/3)