Russia shells Ukraine’s Kherson
Russian forces heavily shelled the centre of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson yesterday, injuring eight people and destroying or damaging at least 15 buildings, a senior city official said.
Pictures posted on social media showed at least three sites dotted with piles of rubble and the interior of one building strewn with shattered building materials and other debris.
Roman Mrochko, head of the city's military administration, said on the Telegram messaging app that three of the injured were being treated in hospital. He said two buildings had been destroyed, three suffered heavy damage and 10 less damage.
"In the evening the entire city trembled," Ukraine's Emergency Services said on Telegram. "The enemy targeted the very centre of Kherson."
The posting said emergency workers had rescued two women, in their 70s and 80s, who had been blocked in a building, and brought a fire under control in a rubble-strewn area.
Ukraine's Suspilne public broadcaster said Russian forces had also shelled Beryslav, a town further north on the Dnipro River in Kherson Region, wounding one person.
Meanwhile, national security advisers from around 65 countries have gathered in Malta for a weekend meeting organised by Ukraine to discuss its peace formula for ending the war with Russia.
It is the third such meeting this year after smaller ones in Jeddah and Copenhagen but Russia is not involved.
A 10-point peace plan proposed by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky includes calls for the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity, withdrawal of Russian troops, protection of food and energy supplies, nuclear safety and the release of all prisoners.
The meeting is being held in a Maltese hotel ballroom behind closed doors, but officials said it was hoped it would lead to agreement to hold a global peace summit later this year.
The talks will help gauge Ukraine and the West's ability to drum up continued and broader support, particularly in the Global South, as the conflict in Israel dominates headlines, moving the focus from Kyiv.
Moscow last week criticised Malta for hosting it, describing it as an anti-Russia event that would be counter-productive.
Malta's foreign minister, Ian Borg, said Malta would continue to show its support to efforts for the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity.
"Despite being a neutral country, we cannot not condemn the injustices, atrocities and abuse of power in the region. We remain at the forefront of condemning this aggression," he told delegates.
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