Russia kills three including child near Kyiv
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- Russia fired ballistic missiles east of Kyiv early Saturday, killing three people including a child, wounding three more and sparking fires that damaged apartment buildings and cars, regional military head Timur Tkachenko said.
- Emergency crews in Kyiv also battled blazes at a building and fuel tank, Mayor Vitaly Klitchko wrote on Telegram, with Ukraine's DSNS state emergency service still clarifying the final victim count.
- President Zelensky arrived in Belgrade for his first visit, set to meet Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić on economic ties, security and EU relations, though Serbia has refused to sanction Russia while seeking EU membership.
- Zelensky warned that delays in receiving anti-ballistic systems from partners are causing 'horrific casualties and destruction,' adding that interceptor supplies from allies have been 'significantly reduced' this year.
- Ukraine recently struck two oil refineries deep inside Russia and Moscow-linked Black Sea vessels, a campaign Zelensky framed as aimed at cutting oil revenues funding Moscow's war effort.
- Recent mediation talks between the two sides have faltered, 'leading to an escalation of attacks between both sides,' the report noted.
Why it matters: Zelensky is directly tying the civilian toll to reduced Western interceptor shipments — a pointed public message delivered while he courts Serbia, a Russia-friendly EU candidate. With mediation stalled and tit-for-tat strikes now hitting Russian oil infrastructure, the war is widening on multiple fronts without a diplomatic off-ramp.
