At least 22 Ukrainians have been killed and another 85 injured in Russian strikes across the country overnight, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to call for “very harsh, truly painful” sanctions on Russia.
Moscow’s latest barrage comes hours after President Donald Trump said that he would be reducing the time period in which Vladimir Putin has to reach a peace deal or face heavy tariffs.
President Zelensky said that 73 cities and villages came under attack including the eastern city of Kamyanske, where a hospital was hit, killing a 23-year-old pregnant woman.
He added that airstrikes began around midnight local time, with several Russian bombs dropped on a prison facility on the frontline in the Zaporizhzhia region, most of which is currently under Russian occupation.
Ivan Federov, Head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, said on Tuesday that 16 people were killed in the strikes calling it a “blatant war crime.”
“The Russians could not have been unaware that they were targeting civilians in that facility. Many were killed, and another 43 people were wounded, some of them with very severe injuries,” Zelensky said on social media after the attacks.
Russian attacks continued on Tuesday morning, with a drone strike leaving two utility company workers injured in the eastern city of Kostiantynivka. Serhiy Horbunov, head of the city’s Military Administration, called it “cynical aggression by Russian occupiers” against civilian infrastructure.
Zelensky continued: “This was done after a completely clear position was voiced by the United States – a position supported by the world – that Russia must end this war and move to diplomacy,” he added.
The Ukrainian President referenced Trump’s updated deadline for Putin to reach a peace deal with Kyiv, which Zelensky says he welcomes.
“I’m going to make a new deadline of about 10 or 12 days from today. There’s no reason they’re [Russia] waiting. 50 days, I wanted to be generous but we just don’t see any progress being made,” Trump told reporters as he sat down with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in Scotland on Monday.
The President also confirmed that he would be enforcing secondary tariffs on Russia should a deal not come to fruition. Two weeks ago, Trump said that he would give Russia 50 days to reach such a deal, and failure to do so would result in 100% tariffs on Russia and any of its trading partners.
Under the previous deadline, Moscow would have had until September 3rd, which has now been moved forward to between August 7-9.
“Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country,” said Deputy Chair of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev in response to Trump’s comments on Monday.
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina responded to Medvedev, saying: “To those in Russia who believe that President Trump is not serious about ending the bloodbath between Russia and Ukraine: You and your customers will soon be sadly mistaken.”
Medvedev then fired back, replying: “It’s not for you or Trump to dictate when to ‘get at the peace table’. Negotiations will end when all the objectives of our military operation have been achieved. Work on America first, gramps!” in the social media spat.
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