Russian shelling hit a crowded market in the Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka, killing at least 16 people, as the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, was in Kyiv for an unannounced visit, his first for a year to the Ukrainian capital.
In the hours prior to Blinken’s arrival in the Ukrainian capital, Russia targeted Kyiv with ballistic missiles.
“It was clearly meant as a greeting to Blinken,” Mykhailo Podolyak, a key adviser to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, told the Guardian. He said Russia had used Iskander missiles in the attack, which was thwarted by Ukrainian air defences.
Loud booms were audible in Kyiv shortly before 6am, as Blinken’s train was approaching the city.
“Russia is constantly showing that it will not abide by any rules,” Podolyak added.
Falling debris damaged buildings in Kyiv but there were no casualties, officials said. However, the attack in Kostiantynivka, close to the frontlines, killed at least 16 people and wounded 28 more. Video of the aftermath showed fires raging in destroyed buildings and soldiers carrying body bags away from the scene.
“A regular market. Shops. A pharmacy. People who did nothing wrong. Many wounded. Unfortunately the number of casualties and the injured may rise,” Zelenskiy wrote in a post on Telegram. He called the strike “a terrorist attack”.
In Kyiv, Blinken met his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, and was due to have discussions with Zelenskiy. The two-day visit will include an overnight stay in the Ukrainian capital.
Blinken is expected to announce a new package of US assistance of $175m-$200m (£140-£160) during his visit, AP reported, with a larger package worth more than $1bn expected later this week, according to a senior state department official.
“I’m here in large part at the behest of President Biden to reaffirm our commitment to stand with you – to stand with you to help ensure that you succeed militarily in dealing with the aggression, but also to stand with you to make sure that your efforts to build a strong economy and a strong democracy succeed,” Blinken said, in remarks before a meeting with the Ukrainian prime minister, Denys Shmyhal.
The visit comes shortly after Zelenskiy fired his defence minister amid a number of corruption scandals over military procurement, and as Ukraine’s military counteroffensive grinds on in the south-east of the country.
On Wednesday, Ukraine’s parliament approved the appointment of Rustem Umerov as new defence minister. He replaces Oleksii Reznikov, who was sacked after a number of corruption scandals linked to the defence ministry. Reznikov is tipped to become ambassador to Britain.
Umerov was tasked with negotiations with Russia in the early stages of the war, before heading the state property fund, Ukraine’s main privatisation agency.
“He has an impeccable reputation, and all political circles respect him. He’s a consensus candidate, which is important,” said Podolyak.
In a statement posted to Facebook, Umerov promised to do “everything possible and impossible” to bring about Ukraine’s victory.
“42 million Ukrainians stand behind every solider. Behind every soldier is a ministry that will do everything to protect and provide for all our people,” he wrote.
Umerov’s appointment came as unnamed western officials have criticised the speed and tactics of Ukraine’s counteroffensive, which has irritated Ukrainian officials. The offensive has proceeded more slowly than expected, partly due to the extensive fortifications and minefields that Russian forces have built to defend their lines.
“I understand that the further away you are from the war, sitting in your office, the better you understand the war, and if you’re 10,000 kilometres away then it’s the best place to understand what is happening,” said Podolyak, in a sarcastic aside.
He criticised western officials who saw the war as “arrows on a map” rather than in terms of human lives, but said in recent months there had been an increased understanding of the task Ukraine faced in pushing through Russian lines.
One senior western official said in a briefing to journalists on Wednesday that Ukraine was making “incremental but methodical progress” on parts of the southern and eastern fronts but accepted it was “slower than expected a couple of months ago”.
This was due to the heavier than expected minefield belt laid by the Russians on the frontline, at times forcing Ukrainian soldiers to dismount and “crawl on their bellies to get through”, meaning that the pace of advance has been at best a few hundred metres a day.
An unnamed US official told Reuters that Blinken wanted to get a first-hand assessment of the counteroffensive during the trip.
“What’s most important is that we get a real assessment from the Ukrainians themselves,” the official said. “We want to see, hear how they intend to push forward in the coming weeks.”
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Russian strike on crowded Ukraine market leaves many dead - The Guardian
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