NEW DELHI: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed his call for NATO to implement a no-flying zone in the wake of an attack on the Yavoryev International Center for Peacekeeping and Security early Monday. Zelensky has warned that Russia will be embroiled in a NATO conflict after the bomb Yavoryev Army Base.
“If you don’t close our skies, it’s only a matter of time before Russian missiles hit your territory, over NATO territory, at the homes of NATO citizens,” Zelensky said in a video address, according to AFP news agency. But falls.” He continued, “Last year, I clearly warned NATO leaders that if there were no harsh deterrent sanctions against the Russian Federation, it would go to war. We were right.”
More than 134 people were injured and 35 were killed when Russia launched high-precision, long-range weapons to target the Yavoryev International Center for Peacekeeping and Security. Along with this facility, another facility in the village of Starichi was also attacked, news agency Reuters reported.
Russia also admitted that it launched the attacks after warnings on Saturday that it would target Western weapons shipments to Ukraine. It also said 180 foreign mercenaries and a large amount of foreign weapons were destroyed in the attack, Reuters quoted Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov as saying. It said the attack destroyed a significant amount of weapons supplied by foreign nations.
The Yavoryev International Center for Peacekeeping and Security had previously hosted NATO exercises, but Ukrainian media reported that no NATO officials were present at the compound when the attack took place.
The United States and the United Kingdom have warned that any attack on NATO allies and members will have immediate consequences. “We condemn the Russian Federation’s missile attack on the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security in Yvoriev, close to Ukraine’s border with Poland,” Blinken said in a tweet.
Britain’s Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said the attack was a significant escalation. Yvoriev Base is at least 25 km from the Polish border.
Meanwhile, the two sides are scheduled to meet for the fourth time on Monday to discuss measures to defuse the conflict. The sides expressed modest optimism ahead of the talks. The Russian delegation will be led by Leonid Slutsky for Monday’s talks.
(with agency input)