Ukraine-Russia war latest: Moscow launches drone attack on market that kills five and injures 19 – UK Times

A Ukrainian drone strike has damaged an oil pipeline at Russia’s Baltic Sea port of Primorsk, local governor Alexander Drozdenko said on Sunday.

No injuries were reported.

The pipeline was shut down and a fire was safely burning out, Drozdenko said on Telegram. Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russia’s Baltic Sea ports over the past month.

Ukrainian soldiers deployed a firefighting robot to extinguish a blaze in the Kramatorsk region following a Russian strike on a house.

After discovering that gas canisters were stored at the scene of the fire, the fire brigade decided to use the robot to prevent putting soldiers at further risk.

“With its help, the fire was extinguished and prevented from spreading to neighbouring homes,” the brigade said.

“Ukrainian [ground robots] prove their uniqueness and effectiveness not only on the battlefield, but also in civilian life.”

The “Zmiy Firefighting” ground robotic systems are created by Ukrainian defence tech company RoverTech and are designed to operate in high-risk environments.

The system can be remotely controlled at distances of up to 3,000 meters, according to the company.

Ukraine has brought back eight children and teenagers from occupied territories, a Ukrainian humanitarian NGO has announced.

Mykola Kuleba, the founder of Save Ukraine, said they had all been living in conditions of pressure and fear, and their lives were under constant threat.

One 14 year old, Zoryana, was among those rescued. Mr Kuleba said she had been separated from her father by Russians, who was stripped of his documents and deported.

The girl was forced to study in a Russian school, where she was told about the greatness of Russia and taught to use weapons, he said.

Mr Kuleba wrote: “They are all in our Hope and Recovery centers and are receiving psychological support, documentation assistance, housing, and care — everything to help them regain a sense of security and start building a future.

“But thousands of children still remain under occupation. They are forced to be silent, conformed, and prepared for war. But we are not stopping.”

This recruitment drive is further evidenced by documents indicating that companies in Russia’s central Ryazan region have been given quotas to enlist workers for the army.

Top officials also deny any shortage of recruits, despite Ukrainian claims – dismissed by Moscow – that Kyiv is eliminating Russian troops faster than they can be replaced.

Ukraine said three women and two men were killed in a Russian drone attack on a market in the city of Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Another 19 people were injured in the attack, the prosecutor general’s office said.

A strike also wounded 11 people in the city of Sumy, not far from the border with Russia.

Nearly 34,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or seriously wounded in March, the highest level since the start of the war, according to Volodymyr Zelensky.

Another 1,363 Russians were “eliminated” in artillery and other strikes over the month, bringing Russian losses to more than 35,000 in March.

“Importantly, the results in the destruction of Russia’s air defence systems have also significantly increased, with 274 such systems hit in March alone,” Ukraine’s leader wrote on social media.

“There have also been tangible results in the destruction of Russian depots and military logistics. The Ministry of Defence, together with the Armed Forces, will present a detailed report to the public for March – data that may be made public.”

Sixteen Kenyans are missing in Russia after joining its army, Kenya’s foreign affairs minister Musalia Mudavadi told a Senate committee, adding that the number had risen from 10 to 16 within 24 hours. It remains unclear whether they are dead or alive.

Thirty-eight others are in Russian hospitals under restricted access, 47 have returned home and two are being held by Ukraine as prisoners of war. Mudavadi estimated 165 Kenyans are actively involved in military operations, bringing the total who have participated in the conflict to more than 250.

The minister said recruits had been lured by promises of salaries of up to $2,700 (£2,040) a month, signing bonuses of up to $23,000 (£17,400) and the possibility of Russian citizenship. “Contrary to prevailing reports, the majority of Kenyans enlisted with full knowledge and willingly,” he said.

Kenya and Russia agreed to halt the recruitment following talks between Mudavadi and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow last month. Ukrainian intelligence has estimated more than 1,700 people from 36 African countries have been recruited to fight for Russia.