Zelensky town hit after Ukr. advance

Russia attacked the Ukrainian president’s hometown and other targets Sunday with suicide drones after Ukraine took back full control of a strategic eastern city in a counteroffensive that has reshaped the war.

Russia’s loss of the eastern city of Lyman, which it had been using as a transport and logistics hub, is a new blow to the Kremlin as it escalates the war by illegally annexing four regions of Ukraine and heightening threats of nuclear force.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s land grab has threatened to push the conflict to a dangerous new level. It also prompted Ukraine to formally apply for NATO membership, a bid that won backing Sunday from nine central and eastern European NATO members fearful that Russia’s aggression could eventually target them.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Sunday that his forces now control Lyman, saying that: “As of 12:30 p.m. (0930 GMT) Lyman is cleared fully. Thank you to our militaries, our warriors.”

Russia’s military didn’t comment Sunday on Lyman, after announcing Saturday that it was withdrawing its forces there to more favorable positions. The British military described the recapture of Lyman as a “significant political setback” for Moscow, and Ukraine appeared to swiftly capitalize on its gains.

Hours after Zelensky’s announcement, Ukrainian media shared an image of Ukrainian troops carrying the country’s yellow-and-blue flag in front of a statue marking the village of Torske, nine miles east of Lyman and within sight of the Russian-held Luhansk region.

In southern Ukraine, Zelensky’s hometown of Krivyi Rih came under Russian attack by a suicide drone that destroyed two stories of a school early Sunday, according to the regional governor.