Russia rejected the possibility of a ceasefire with Ukraine in the Black Sea today, arguing there is no reason for “half-measures that simply give the Kyiv regime a temporary reprieve.”
Lavrov: “We will harden our methods considerably”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated in an interview broadcast today on state television that Russia will intensify its efforts to destroy anything the West uses to support Ukraine.
“We will harden our methods considerably to destroy everything that feeds Kyiv’s war machine from the West. And we are already doing so,” Lavrov said. Addressing efforts to end the war, Lavrov stated that Russia rules out the possibility of an immediate halt to fighting. “We must stop only when there is a long-term, credible, and sustainable settlement,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, a mother and her 9-year-old son were killed in Russian drone strikes on Ukraine’s border region of Sumy, the head of the regional military administration, Oleh Hryhоrov, announced today via Telegram.
Two drones set fire to a private residence and destroyed it, killing the 29-year-old mother and her son, Hryhorov said. Four other people were injured, including the boy’s father and grandmother, who were hospitalized with serious burns.
In the central Ukrainian city of Smila, five people were injured in a Russian drone strike, local authorities reported, describing the attack as a mass strike on civilian infrastructure.
Attacks on Izmail and Mykolaiv — Moscow’s announcements
Russia’s Defense Ministry also announced that Russian forces struck the railway station at the Ukrainian port of Izmail. According to the ministry, the port is used to load, store, and transport military cargo and fuel for Ukraine’s armed forces.
Russia also struck two tugboats off the coast of Mykolaiv, which it claimed were used to escort cargo vessels into Ukrainian ports. The Russian Defense Ministry additionally announced today that Russian forces had captured the settlement of Novomykolaivka in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces continued their counterattacks against Russia. Governor Alexander Drozdenko stated that 51 drones were intercepted over the Leningrad region near St. Petersburg, and following the interceptions, a fire broke out at the port of Ust-Luga — a major export hub for liquefied gas, fertilizers, and coal.
Authorities in the Tver region, northwest of Moscow, also reported a strike. Drone debris caused damage to the wall of a warehouse belonging to online retail company Wildberries. No injuries were reported.
