Key facts
- Ukraine and Russia engaged in cross-border strikes, causing casualties and damage.
- Ukrainian forces targeted Russian oil facilities and a military plant.
- The European Commission agreed to open EU membership negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova.
- Russia views Ukraine and Moldova's closer ties with the EU as a confrontational move.
Ukraine and Russia engaged in reciprocal strikes, with Ukrainian forces targeting Russian energy infrastructure and military facilities, while Russia attacked multiple Ukrainian regions. The exchanges resulted in casualties and damage on both sides.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that 11 Ukrainian regions had come under Russian attack this week, with nearly 530 drones and two missiles used, injuring dozens. Local authorities in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast stated that nine people were injured due to Russian strikes. In Russia's Krasnodar Krai, a Ukrainian drone attack reportedly killed one person and wounded three, causing a fire at a sea terminal.
Ukrainian forces have recently intensified long-range strikes on Russian oil facilities, including the Kuibyshev oil refinery and two infrastructure sites in the Vladimir region. Cruise missiles also hit a military plant in Cheboksary involved in supplying Russian forces with drones and missiles. Ukraine's air force announced the interception of 110 Russian Shahed drones.
Concurrently, Ukraine has moved closer to its European Union membership goals. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that EU member states have agreed to open the first cluster of membership negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. She stated that the first Intergovernmental Conference will open the cluster on fundamentals, the core of the accession process, recognizing the reforms undertaken by both countries.
Both Ukraine and Moldova view EU membership as a means to bolster their security amidst Russian aggression. Moscow has previously warned against their closer ties with Europe, citing Ukraine's relationship with the West and NATO ambitions as reasons for its invasion. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described Moldova's move towards the EU as a 'serious mistake' and a 'confrontational line' against Russia.