Blood transfusion centre blast a ‘war crime’: Zelenskiy

| August 6, 2023

Casualties have been reported at a blood transfusion centre in Kharkiv region in eastern Ukraine in an attack condemned by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy  as a “war crime”.

Zelenskiy said a Russian guided aerial bomb hit the centre in the town of Kupiansk late on Saturday.

“There are dead and wounded,” he said on his Telegram channel. 

Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Kupiansk is a railway hub fewer than 16 kilometres from the front.

“This war crime alone says everything about Russian aggression. Beating the terrorists is a matter of honour for all who value life,” Zelenskiy said.

Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians in a full-scale invasion that has killed thousands of people, uprooted millions and destroyed cities.

A two-day meeting aimed at finding a political settlement to the Ukraine war is underway in Saudi Arabia, Saudi state TV reports.

The meeting is part of a diplomatic push by Ukraine to build support beyond its core allies by reaching out to Global South countries that have been reluctant to take sides in a conflict that has hit the global economy.

It is not clear whether the talks are aimed at producing a joint statement however, and the Ukrainian envoy to the meeting said the conversation “will be difficult”.

“But behind us is truth, behind us – goodness,” envoy Andriy Yermak, head of President Zelenskiy’s office, said.

Russia is not attending although the Kremlin has said it will keep an eye on the talks.

Ukrainian, Russian and international officials say there is no prospect of direct peace talks between Ukraine and Russia at present, with the war raging.

Zelenskiy has said he hopes the talks will lead to a peace summit of global leaders to endorse principles in his plan for a settlement, which demands Russia’s return of all Ukrainian territory and withdrawal of all its troops.

The world’s top oil exporter Saudi Arabia, which has maintained contacts with both sides since Russia invaded Ukraine last February, has played a role in convening countries that did not join earlier meetings, foreign diplomats have said.

China, which did not attend a previous round of talks in Copenhagen, is sending Special Envoy for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui, officials in Beijing said on Saturday.

China has kept close economic and diplomatic ties with Russia since the conflict began and has rejected calls to condemn the Kremlin.

“We have many disagreements and we have heard different positions but it is important that our principles are shared,” he said.

Both sides said on Saturday that a Ukrainian sea drone full of explosives had struck a Russian fuel tanker overnight near a bridge linking Russia to annexed Crimea, the second such attack in 24 hours.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Russia would retaliate.

“The Kyiv regime, meeting no condemnation from Western countries and international organisations, is actively applying new terrorist methods, this time in the waters of the Black Sea,” Zakharova said in a statement.

with DPA