Russia pounds Ukraine; Putin gets Iran's backing
KYIV, UKRAINE >> Russian missiles struck cities and villages in eastern and southern Ukraine, hitting homes, a school and a community center on Tuesday as Russian President Vladimir Putin won strong support support from Iran for his country's military operation.
In Kramatorsk, a city in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk province considered a likely Russian occupation target, one person was killed and 10 wounded in an airstrike that hit a fivestory apartment building, regional Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said.
Fresh blood stained the concrete amid green leaves that were torn off trees as nearby apartments on at least two floors burned. Shrapnel was placed in a small pile near an empty playground.
“There was no one here. Everything is ruined,” said Halyna Maydannyk, a resident of one burned apartment.
“Who knows why they're doing this? We were all living peacefully.”
The midday strike came after Kyrylenko had reported four earlier Russian strikes in Kramatorsk and urged civilians to evacuate.
On the political front, Putin visited Tehran, where Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said the West opposes an “independent and strong” Russia. Khamenei said that if Russia hadn't sent troops into Ukraine, it would have faced an attack from NATO, echoing Putin's own rhetoric and reflecting increasingly close ties between Moscow and Tehran as they both face severe Western sanctions. NATO allies have bolstered their military presence in Eastern Europe and provided Ukraine with weapons.
The Tehran talks also touched on attempts to unblock Ukrainian grain exports, a problem that is causing global shortages and driving up food prices. Putin said after his meetings that Russia would help facilitate such shipments if the West lifts restrictions on Russian grain exports. He noted that “the Americans have effectively lifted the restrictions on Russian fertilizer supplies,” adding that “if they sincerely want to improve the situation in the global food market, I hope they will do the same with Russian grain exports.”
In another development, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee gave easy bipartisan approval Tuesday to admitting Finland and Sweden into NATO, as lawmakers aimed for quick Senate passage and a show of congressional support for expansion of the U.S. and European defense alliance in the face of Russia's war in Ukraine.
In the Odesa region in southern Ukraine, Russian forces fired seven Kalibr cruise missiles overnight. The Russian Defense Ministry said strikes achieved a legitimate military goal and “destroyed depots of ammunition for weapons supplied by the United States and European countries.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disputed Moscow's claim and said six people were wounded, including a 5-month-old girl.