28 February 2024 , 18:51
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Warmonger Vladimir Putin’s brutal bombings killed a priest and flattened his church as well as claiming a further four lives.
In a deranged drive for territorial “victories” in occupied Ukraine ahead of a major speech on Thursday and an election next month, Russian forces targeted Kupyansk - or Kupiansk - in the Kharkiv region. The Ukrainian Interior Ministry said: “The Church of Jesus Christ was recorded as being hit. A 58-year-old pastor was under the rubble.” Initial reports said the priest, also a Ukrainian military chaplain, was wounded.
Later, it was revealed the cleric Yuriy Klymko, 58, had died from the Russian strike which was described as a guided bombing. A man aged 39 was also killed, with reports saying his head had been “torn off”. A woman, 31, described as his sister, was wounded, as were five others, according to reports.
Kharkiv governor Oleh Synehubov said: “As of now, it is known that a total of five people were injured and two killed as a result of the KAB-500 aerial bombardment. The dead are a 58-year-old pastor of the Church of Jesus Christ and a 39-year-old man, the details are being established. Three women and two men were injured. They are provided with medical assistance.” The church was “destroyed” along with residential buildings and a cafe.
Ukraine’s president pleaded on Wednesday for more ammunition to repel Russian advances as he co-hosted a summit with Albania's government to build further support for Kyiv among southeastern European countries while signs of war fatigue grow.
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Vladimir Putin’s apocalypse bombing killed priest Yuriy Klymko, 58, today (Emergency Service of Ukraine)His impassioned plea comes as Russian troops have seized the initiative on the battlefield in Ukraine amid worsening shortages of weapons and soldiers for Ukraine's military. Western analysts and observers say the Russians are attacking in strength along four parallel axes in the northeast, aiming to press deeper into the Ukraine-held western part of the Donetsk region and also penetrating the Kharkiv region north of it.
Russia took the strategic eastern city of Avdiivka earlier this month by overwhelming Ukrainian forces with large numbers of troops and superior air and artillery firepower. Fierce fighting has continued with Russia pushing Kyiv’s forces out of another three villages to the city’s west in the last few days.
Zelenskyy arrived in Albania overnight to join a summit of eleven countries from southeastern Europe, along with officials from the European Union and other international organizations. It was the latest stop in an international tour that saw him in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to push for a peace plan and the return of prisoners of war from Russia.