Pope Leo denounces “strong intensification” of war in Ukraine

Pope Leo

“I am following the war in Ukraine with concern,” declared the first pope in Christian history born in the United States.

“War does not solve problems, but aggravates them. It “does not bring security, but increases suffering and hatred. Where missiles and drones fall, hopes collapse, homes and places of worship are destroyed and innocent lives are shattered,” he declared.

These statements by the pope come as the Russian Defense Ministry announced the takeover of the villages of Hraniv, in the Kharkiv region, in the northeast of Ukraine, and Vozdvyzhivka, in the Zaporizhia region, in the southeast of the country.

Russian strikes on the city of Zaporizhia left 15 people injured in the past 24 hours and six other people were injured in the Dnipropetrovsk region, local authorities said on Telegram.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia had launched 163 drones into the country since 6 p.m. Tuesday (local time).

Separately, two people were injured in the southern Russian port city of Taganrog, east of the border with Ukraine, after Russia shot down a missile early Wednesday, Taganrog Mayor Svetlana Kambulova said on Telegram.

In total, Russia shot down 140 drones overnight, the Interfax news agency said, citing the Defense Ministry. “Taganrog is a port city located at the eastern end of the Sea of ​​Azov, east of the border with Ukraine.

On Monday, the Ukrainian army said it had used Storm Shadow missiles to destroy a Russian command, control and communications post located in Russian-controlled territory in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine.

Storm Shadow missiles are manufactured by a Franco-British consortium. Russia had already summoned the British and French ambassadors to protest against the use of these weapons by Ukraine.

Air defense units at the port of Sevastopol in Russian-occupied Crimea shot down more than 20 Ukrainian drones early Wednesday morning, with Ukraine also using Storm Shadow missiles, the city’s governor said on Telegram.

Drone debris caused a fire which was quickly brought under control at the Russian port terminal of Tuapse, on the Black Sea, authorities said on Wednesday. They added that no one was injured in these incidents.

Reuters was unable to independently verify this information relating to military activities.

(By Joshua McElwee, Jekaterīna Golubkova, Anna Pruchnicka; French version Matthieu ​Huchet, edited by Benoit Van Overstraeten)