Ukraine updates: Russia launches fresh strikes on Kyiv, Lviv
Published September 4, 2024last updated September 4, 2024
What you need to know
Ukraine's military said Kyiv and Lviv were hit by a new wave of Russian missiles and drones overnight.
At least seven people were killed in Lviv, the city's mayor said.
Poland also said its air defenses were activated amid the fresh wave of Russian airstrikes.
Meanwhile, the governor of Poltava has declared three days of mourning after more than 50 people were killed in one of the largest Russian strikes since 2022.
Here are the latest developments in Russia's war in Ukraine from Wednesday, September 4:
Lviv's mayor says death toll rises to 7, including 3 children
The mayor of the western city of Lviv, Andriy Sadovy, says seven people, including three children, have died in Russia's early morning attack on the city.
More than 20 are reported to have been injured in the missile and drone strikes.
Earlier reports spoke of three fatalities.
In the wake of the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeated his call for permission to use Western long-range weaponry against military targets within Russia.
"Everyone who persuades partners to give Ukraine more long-range capability to respond to terror fairly is working to prevent exactly these kinds of Russian terrorist strikes on Ukrainian cities," Zelenskyy said.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Kuleba tenders resignation: Parliamentary speaker
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has put in a resignation request amid an imminent larger government reshuffle, Ukraine's parliamentary speaker, Ruslan Stefanchuk, said on Wednesday
Stefanchuk said the resignation request would be discussed by lawmakers.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said changes to the government were being undertaken to strengthen it and achieve the results needed by Ukraine.
Four other Cabinet ministers submitted their resignations to parliament late on Tuesday, according to the speaker's office.
At least 3 dead and multiple wounded in Lviv attack: Governor
A Russian attack on the western Ukrainian city of Lviv overnight killed at least three people and wounded at least 25 others, the governor of the Lviv region has said, updating an earlier death toll of two.
"Unfortunately, we have a third dead person as a result of the night attack on Lviv. According to initial information, this is a 14-year-old girl," Maksym Kozytskyi wrote on the messaging app Telegram.
"The number of injured increased to 25," he wrote.
Kozytskyi said there were several children among the injured.
Last week, Lviv's energy infrastructure was hit by Russian strikes, causing power outages in the region. The city, popular with tourists because of its picturesque historic city center, has otherwise largely been spared the worst of the fighting during Russia's invasion.
Irish premier to announce aid package during Ukraine visit
Ireland's premier Simon Harris is set to visit Ukraine on Wednesday where he will meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv.
"I want to see first hand and with my own eyes the impact of war on the continent of Europe," Harris said.
Harris will also announce €43 million ($47.5) in aid for Ukraine, with a focus on humanitarian assistance and reconstruction efforts.
Of that, €36 million will be delivered by Irish Aid to partner organizations while €7 million will go toward European Investment Bank projects.
"We have been unequivocal and steadfast in our support for the people of Ukraine and this additional funding continues to demonstrate that commitment," Harris said.
Ukrainian ex-diplomat says Poltava not justified
A former Ukrainian diplomat has rejected the notion that Russia's airstrikes on Poltava are a retaliation to Ukraine's incursion into Kursk.
Olexander Scherba, who formerly served as Ukraine's ambassador to Austria, told DW that there was no justification for Russia's strikes on Poltava.
"You know, wherever someone says something like this, I'm speechless because Ukraine has been invaded, killed, raped, tortured, beheaded, castrated for two and a half years. And now, in the third year of this war, we finally brought the war to Russian territory. And all of a sudden, people in the West say, well, this is the retaliation for what you did, for what we did," he said.
Scherba said the Poltava attack on a Ukrainian hospital was an example of how Moscow had a free rein to attack wherever it wants inside Ukraine, while Kyiv is restrained by Western conditions concerning the use of Western weapons in attacking deep inside Russia.
"But also, finally, we cannot fight this war with one of our hands bound behind our back. We have to strike their airfields," he added.
"We have to strike their military bases. It cannot go on like this. It's just insane. Insane that Russia can reach wherever they want. And we can only shoot within a 50 kilometer radius from our border."
Sanctioned Russian banker appointed to IMF board
A sanctioned banker is set to represent Russia on the board of the Intentional Monetary Fund (IMF).
Ksenia Yudaeva was the former first deputy governor at Russia's central bank and a current adviser to its governor Elvira Nabiullina.
She will now replace Aleksei Mozhin, who has been the Russian executive director at the IMF since 1996.
Yudaeva was the subject of US sanctions in 2022, two months after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In theory, such sanctions prevent individuals from entering US territory. The IMF is headquartered in Washington.
Mongolia slammed over Putin visit
Human Rights Watch has condemned Mongolia for failing to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to the landlocked Asian country.
"It's an affront to victims of war crimes in Ukraine and it's also really damaging to Mongolia's standing," HRW's international justice director Liz Evenson told DW.
"Mongolia is a member of the ICC and what's so important, and what the ICC stands for, is the idea that it's a community of states that agree to work together to ensure that no one is above the law, and that politics will not triumph over legal obligations."
Evenson said the ICC's own enforcement process had in the past not taken "robust" action against countries that failed to comply with arrest warrants.
"But here there's a real opportunity for ICC state parties to look at this problem afresh, and to make clear in the reactions to this visit that these arrest warrants matter, and that they can't be defied in this way without there being consequences for Mongolia," she said.
Poltava declares three days of mourning after Russian strike
The governor of Ukraine's Poltava region has declared three days of mourning on Thursday after a major Russian attack killed dozens of people.
The Russian airstrikes, which hit a military academy and a nearby hospital, were the deadliest strikes on the country in more than two years of war, Ukrainian officials said.
"A great tragedy for the Poltava region and the whole country. The insidious strike of the enemy cost 41 people their lives. More than 180 people were wounded. Sincere condolences to relatives and friends," Governor Filip Pronin wrote on Telegram.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ordered an investigation into the attack.
"We continue to urge everyone in the world who has the power to stop this terror: Ukraine needs air defense systems and missiles now, not sitting in storage," he added.
Ukrainian cities targeted by Russian airstrikes
Ukraine's military said it repeled a fresh wave of Russian strikes on Kyiv and Lviv overnight.
The military said Russia targeted Kyiv with missiles and Lviv with drones.
The Reuters news agency said air defense systems could be heard around the capital, citing witnesses.
Meanwhile, Poland's air defenses were activated early hours of Wednesday morning — the third time in eight days.
"This is another very busy night for the entire air defense system in Poland due to the observed activity of the long-range aviation of the Russian Federation carrying out strikes," Polish armed forces said on social media.
zc/rm (Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa)