Dnipro, Ukraine

Russia and Belarus began their "defensive" joint air drills on Monday, leaving Kyiv and the West concerned that this could lead to the launch of a new attack on Ukraine. One of the only countries that have resolutely supported Russia throughout the conflict, Belarus, allowed Moscow's military to begin their invasion from the country in February.

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The air force drills, according to Belarus's defence ministry, will feature combined "tactical" flights from all of the country's airfields. Minska stated that the drills will aim at fortifying the defence. According to Pavel Muraveyko, first deputy state secretary of the Belarusian Security Council, "the exercise is purely defensive in nature," based on a message on the Telegram app of the Belarusian Defence Ministry, Al Jazeera reported.

The drills “will concentrate mainly on patrolling [and] supplies during operations,” as per Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem. “They have been described as defensive drills, not offensive ones, so this is generally the perspective that’s being discussed whenever this issue of the drills is being spoken about. But there are many concerns with the role Belarus is playing with respect to the war [and] whether this is going to have an impact,” he added.

Also Read | Ukraine insists western nations should 'speed up' weapon supplies to combat Russian attacks

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As Ukraine’s Dnipro is still reeling under Russia’s Saturday deadly missile attack, the death toll is rising with dozens unaccounted for. The strike in Dnipro is believed to be one of the deadliest civilian incidents of Moscow's three-month missile-firing campaign against cities far from the front, Reuters reported. A Russian Kh-22 missile from the Soviet era struck Dnipro, according to Ukraine, Baltic News Network (BNN) reported. These missiles are meant to destroy warships, but the Ukrainian Air Force lacks the equipment to intercept them.

Ukraine claims that the widespread civilian killings, which it calls acts of terrorism, show why the war-torn country needs more advanced weapons to drive back Russian soldiers. Russia, however, denied intentionally targeting civilians.

Watch | Russia and Belarus hold joint military drill

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In the aftermath of the attack on Saturday in the central city of Dnipro, authorities said there was little possibility of rescuing more survivors, but President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged to continue the rescue "as long as there is even the slightest chance to save lives."

Following the Dnipro incident, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Western allies to bolster military supplies to Ukraine to put an end to Russian terrorism and attacks on civilian targets. The transfer of the needed military equipment to Ukraine has now been agreed upon by the Western countries. The United Kingdom added its offer to that of Poland and France on Saturday, saying it will deliver 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine to combat Russian forces.

(With inputs from agencies)

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