- Missile hits Ukrainian hotel
- Injuries, increased attacks reported
- EU approves Ukraine aid
A two-month-old boy and his mother were injured when a Russian missile struck a hotel in northeastern Ukraine, officials said.
The infant’s body was retrieved from the rubble of the three-story building in the village of Zolochiv, according to Oleh Synehubov, the regional governor of Kharkiv.
He reported that two other women were injured when Russia launched two S-300 missiles, hitting the hotel and nearby structures.
Since the end of 2023, attacks in the Kharkiv region have increased.
Zolochiv’s location, 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Russian border, limits the effectiveness of Ukrainian air defenses.
The S-300 missiles, repurposed from Russian air defense surface-to-air missiles for targeting Ukrainian ground targets, are cheaper alternatives to more accurate cruise missiles. They struck the hotel early Tuesday.
Last month, S-300 missiles also hit another hotel in Kharkiv city, injuring several people, including journalists covering the Ukraine conflict.
Following Russian attacks, Ukrainian forces mounted a significant assault on Belgorod city, a short drive from the border, in late December.
Separately, the Ukrainian SBU security service arrested five people for allegedly participating in a Russian spy ring.
The SBU claimed these individuals, former and current members of the foreign intelligence and primary intelligence directorate, relayed information about the armed forces, energy infrastructure, and the locations of US-manufactured MRLS rocket launch systems to the Russian FSB security service.
As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine nears its second year, little progress has been made on the battlefield since the conflict’s initial weeks.
Russian efforts have focused on capturing Avdiivka, a key to Donetsk, leaving the town nearly deserted and heavily damaged.
Ukraine’s Strategic Gains and Challenges
Ukraine’s counteroffensive last summer made limited territorial gains, but Ukrainian forces reported disabling about a third of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet since the war began.
Ukrainian military intelligence said naval drones sank the Ivanovets on occupied Crimea’s west coast.
Meanwhile, rumors in Kiev suggest President Volodymyr Zelensky plans to dismiss General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the armed forces commander. This comes after he described the conflict as stalled last November.
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President Zelensky told Rai TV in Italy he is considering a “reset of certain state leaders,” emphasizing the need for leadership to achieve victory without losing faith or succumbing to despair.
US military aid for Ukraine has been delayed by congressional Republicans. They blocked a $60 billion (£48 billion) White House request, linking it to a measure for enhancing US border security.
However, the European Union recently approved a €50 billion (£43 billion) four-year aid program for Ukraine. EU foreign policy leader Josep Borrell pledged support for Kyiv in Kyiv as the war approaches its third year.
