Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in a video recording that an attack was carried out on the Russian city of Poltava, 350 kilometers from the capital Kyiv, hitting a military training facility and a nearby hospital with two missiles, killing 41 people and injuring 180 people. A three-day mourning period was declared.
Paltava is important because it is located between Kiev and Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city on the Russian border.
The US flag has been hoisted once more at the US Embassy in Damascus, Syria, for the first time since its closure in 2012.
US Special Representative for Syria Thomas Barrack made his first official visit to Damascus and personally raised the flag during a ceremony attended by Syrian Foreign Minister Assad Hassan Shaybani. The embassy had suspended operations amid the outbreak of civil conflict following anti-government protests.
No official statement has been issued regarding the resumption of embassy operations.
The move follows a surprise meeting earlier this month between US President Donald Trump and Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara in Riyadh, where a decision was made to lift sanctions imposed during the Assad era, signaling a potential shift in Washington-Damascus relations.
TR