Three fresh developments underscore the perils of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
- A French photojournalist was killed and a Ukrainian photojournalist gravely wounded in a strike by a first-person view (FPV) drone on Friday near the eastern town of Druzhkivka, a few miles from ferocious front-line fighting. The two clearly had the word “press” on their body armor but nonetheless were targeted. FPV drones feature cameras that live stream images to operators who select targets from afar. Civilians, aid workers and journalists increasingly are being killed and wounded in such attacks 10 miles and more from the front line in the east and south of the country.
- One person was killed and 30 were injured on Saturday when two passenger trains were hit by Russian drones at a station in the town of Shostka, in the north-central Sumy region close to the Russian border. The second strike occurred as emergency responders were aiding victims of the first strike. Ukrainian officials said the targeting was deliberate. With all commercial flights halted since the start of the war, trains have been heavily used in wartime Ukraine, including by Ukrainians and foreigners entering and leaving the country. Although Russia has not systematically targeted trains, the Shostka attack was ominous.
- The western city of Lviv, 49 miles from the Polish border, was the main target of a Russian missile and drone attack targeting energy infrastructure early Sunday. A house on the outskirts of the city was destroyed. Smoke rose over the historic old town. Many in the region were left without power. Several other cities were struck simultaneously, but Lviv is hundreds of miles from the front line and a hub for foreigners entering the country.
The current intensity of Russian air attacks would have been unimaginable in the first two years of the full-scale Russian invasion, which began in February 2022.
Personnel should avoid Ukraine entirely.
