At least two killed, one injured after Russian shelling hits cafe in Ukraine’s northeast

At least two people were killed and one person was injured after Russian shelling hit a cafe, in a village near the town of Kupiansk in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, said the governor, on Saturday (August 25). Meanwhile, Russia claimed to have shot down one drone approaching Moscow and another in a border region. It also reported that Ukrainian shelling injured six in a border town.

Two killed, one injured in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region

At least two people were killed and one other was injured after Russian shelling hit a cafe,said the officials in Kupiansk which is about six kilometres from the frontline. This comes after Ukrainian officials in the region had urged vulnerable residents living near the town to evacuate earlier this month amid reports of Russia ramping up attacks in a bid to recapture the territory in the region.

“According to the preliminary information of the medical staff, two people died in Podoly village as a result of the shelling, another one was wounded,” said Kharkiv governor Oleg Synegubov, on social media. He added, “The enemy hit a civilian target – a cafe, where local residents were spending the day.”

Six injured in Russia after Ukrainian shelling

In the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that at least six people were injured after the attack in the village, Urazovo and accused Kyiv of firing “cluster munitions”. According to the Russian official, some residential buildings had been damaged.

“As a result of the cluster munition strike, 6 civilians sustained shrapnel wounds,” said Gladkov, in an update after initially reporting four people had been injured. He added, “One victim is in extremely serious condition.”

Russia claims to have downed two drones

Russia said that its air defences shot down one drone approaching the capital and another drone near the village of Kupino, in the Belgorod region. Meanwhile, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that the drone was downed by the air defence systems over the Istra district which is some 50 kilometres west from the Kremlin.

“Tonight, air defence forces destroyed a drone on approach to Moscow in the Istrinskii district,” said Sobyanin. He added, “Preliminarily, there were no casualties or damage. Emergency services are working on the site.”

The reported attack forced the suspension of flights in three major airports – Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo – in Moscow, reported TASS.

The second drone, as per Gladkov, was shot down near Kupino. There were immediate reports of damage or casualties in the region due to the drone attack.

Three Ukrainian militarypilots killed inmid-air collision

Ukrainianair force, in a statement, reported the death of threeUkrainian pilotsafter two L-39 trainer aircraft collided in mid-air in central Ukraine. This comes as the war-torn country is about toundertake the difficult task ofquickly training up its personnelon Western-donated F-16 fighter jets.

According to Ukrainian officials, thecrash occurred on Friday over theZhytomyr region, which lies west of the capital Kyiv. Among those killed was also therenowned fighter jet pilot with the call sign "Juice".

"We express our condolences to the families of the victims. This is a painful and irreparable loss for all of us," said the Ukrainian air force, on Telegram. It added, thatan investigation into the circumstances of the crash was taking place.

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on Ukraine-Russia war on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos

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