Ukraine is looking for an answer to Russia's new tactic of frequent airstrikes with Iranian-made combat drones. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked the international community for more and better anti-aircraft weapons. "When we talk about air defense, we're talking about real human lives," he said in a video speech. "It's not just in Ukraine's interest. The fewer Russia's terrorist capabilities, the sooner this war will end."
The leadership in Tehran denies having supplied Russia with disposable drones. But Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also cast doubt on this account. "The kamikaze drones that were shot down and that also hit Kyiv, it's very, very clear where they come from," the Greens politician told ZDF's "heute journal".
Yesterday Russia had to deal with the consequences of the war it had started against Ukraine. A Sukhoi Su-34 fighter jet crashed over a residential area in the Russian city of Yeysk on the Sea of Azov. At least six people were killed. Today is the 237th day of defense against the Russian invasion for Ukraine.
Air raids into the night
In the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, the fourth air alert on Monday ended after midnight. According to the authorities, air defenses were deployed around the city of over a million inhabitants to intercept incoming drones. A downing of such a drone was reported from the town of Brovary on the eastern outskirts of the city. Four people were killed in drone attacks on Kyiv in the morning, including a young couple with a pregnant wife. "(Russia's President) Vladimir Putin can take credit for another achievement, he killed another pregnant woman," Zelensky said.
In the evening there was an air raid over the southern regions of Mykolaiv and Odessa. Explosions were heard in Odessa. According to the authorities, an object of the energy supply was hit in the central Ukrainian region of Dnepropetrovsk on the day.
Kiev allegations against Iran
Zelenskyy said Ukraine had intercepted 37 drones and several cruise missiles since Sunday evening. The Shahed 136 single-use combat drones from Iran were observed over Kyiv. Since last week there have been more than 100 attacks with such drones, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
"We are calling on Tehran to immediately stop all arms deliveries to Russia," the ministry said in a statement. "Otherwise Iran and its leadership will be held strictly accountable." He called on the European Union to impose sanctions on Iran.
Baerbock for new sanctions against Tehran
Foreign Minister Baerbock spoke out in favor of further sanctions against Iran if the delivery of the drones by the Islamic Republic to Moscow is proven. She had already announced in the European Council that "in my view, with a view to this delivery of drones from Iran to Russia, another package of sanctions against the Iranian regime must follow," she said on ZDF's "heute journal".
Baerbock also said that there must be clarity about the origin of the drones for another sanctions package. "Everything has to be legal, of course."
Ukraine and Russia exchange more than 200 prisoners
In Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, which lasted almost seven months, the two sides once again exchanged many prisoners. 108 captured Ukrainian soldiers and civilians returned to their homeland, according to the Presidential Office of Ukraine in Kyiv.
"Ukraine is not letting anyone down," wrote Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak. On the Russian side, the Defense Ministry confirmed the homecoming of 110 prisoners. These included 72 Russian seamen from civilian ships who had been held in Ukraine since the war began in February.
Russian plane crashes on Russian city
The Russian authorities reacted quickly and with great effort to the spectacular crash of the fighter bomber in Yeysk. President Putin has been informed. Civil Protection Minister Alexander Kurenkov and Health Minister Mikhail Murashko flew in from Moscow. Videos from Yeysk showed a large fireball close to an eight-story skyscraper as the plane crashed. Then followed several detonations. Part of the building caught fire up to the roof. The regional civil defense reported six dead and 22 injured. The whereabouts of six people were unclear.
The Ministry of Defense in Moscow announced that one of two engines caught fire when the machine took off from a nearby air base. The two-man crew rescued themselves with parachutes. The machine was on a training flight. According to the rules, such flights take place without ammunition. However, the tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda interpreted the explosions as meaning that the machine was armed. The port city of Yeysk is so close to Ukraine that airstrikes can be launched from there.
That's going to be important today
Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin sees the Iranian drones in the Russian arsenal as the "moment of truth" for Israel to provide military support to Ukraine. This is what Klimkin wrote on Twitter.
Israel is considered the country best equipped against Iranian weapon systems. Out of consideration for Moscow, the government in Jerusalem has so far held back on aid for Ukraine. But the discussion about it should increase.
