Russia-Ukraine war: 22 killed by Russian missile attack as Ukraine marks Independence Day

This week marks Ukraine’s 31st anniversary of its independence from Soviet rule as well as the sixth month of Russia’s invasion. Ukrainian officials reported that 22 people were killed in a Russian missile attack in the eastern region.

Ukrainian officials said 22 people were killed in a Russian missile attack in the eastern region which also set a passenger train on fire. The latest shelling comes as Ukraine celebrates its Independence Day, the 31st anniversary of leaving the Soviet Union, when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia would attempt to escalate attacks during this day, cancelling public celebrations.

The holiday also took place on the same day that marked six months since Russia invaded Ukraine, the most devastating conflict in Europe since World War II.

In a video address to the United Nations Security Council, Zelenskyy said Russian rockets hit a train in the town of Chaplyne, which is 145 kilometers west of the Russian-occupied Donetsk region. In a later video address to the nation, Zelenskyy said Ukraine will hold Russia responsible for everything it has done in the war.

An aide to Zelenskyy, Kyrylo Tymoshenko said Russian forces shelled Chaplyne twice. In the first missile attack, a boy was killed and 21 others were killed in the second attack when a rocket hit a railway train station and set fire to five train carriages.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said Russian forces targeted frontline towns such as Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Mariupol, and Dnipro with artillery attacks during the holiday, avoiding making any attacks on Kyiv.

Kyiv also turned in information to international legal organizations about Russian plans to put captured Ukrainian troops from the Azov unit on trial in Mariupol. Arestovych said Zelenskyy made clear that Ukraine will never consider peace negotiations with Russia if Moscow moves forward with the trials.

Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said Wednesday that Russia’s military offensive appeared to be slowing down due to moral and physical fatigue among its ranks.

“Russia has rather seriously slowed down the tempo of its assault. The reason for this is the exhaustion of their resource base, as well as a moral and physical fatigue from the fighting,” said Budanov in televised remarks.