A 3rd Russian strike in 3 days kills more Ukrainian civilians as the war hits a milestone

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A third Russian strike in three days on a civilian residential area in Ukraine killed at least 12 people, including a child, officials said Tuesday, as the war reached its 1,000th day.

The strike by a Shahed drone in the northern Sumy region injured 11 others, including two children, Ukraine’s Rescue Services said, adding that more people could be trapped under the rubble.

The attack late Monday night hit a dormitory of an educational facility in the town of Hlukhiv, the regional administration said.

Ukraine has repeatedly been clobbered by Russian drones and missiles, while on the battlefield it is under severe Russian pressure at places on the about 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line where its army is stretched thin against a bigger adversary.

On Sunday, a Russian ballistic missile with cluster munitions struck a residential area of Sumy in northern Ukraine, killing 11 people and injuring 84 others.

On Monday, a Russian missile barrage sparked apartment fires in the southern port of Odesa, killing at least 10 people and injuring 43.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the series of aerial strikes proved that Russian President Vladimir Putin was not interest in ending the war.

“Each new attack by Russia only confirms Putin’s true intentions. He wants the war to continue. Talks about peace are not interesting to him. We must force Russia to a just peace by force,” Zelenskyy said.

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