Ukrainian drones have struck two Russian air bases hundreds of miles from the frontlines. On Monday, Kremlin officials acknowledged the attacks damaged two Russian warplanes, and reported three people were killed and five others wounded in an explosion at a military base about 150 miles from Moscow. Russia responded with a fresh barrage of missile strikes across Ukraine that knocked out power supplies and killed at least four civilians. The attacks triggered air raid sirens across Ukrainian cities and towns. Among those seeking cover in a Kyiv bomb shelter Monday was the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk.
Volker Türk: “There was a wave of missile attacks against Ukraine, including some of them ending up in the proximity of Kyiv. You can imagine what this means for the population. It has become almost a new normal, but it has a huge impact on civilians. And it has to stop.”
On Monday, Russian state media broadcast images of President Vladimir Putin touring the Kerch Bridge, a key link between Russia and the Russian-annexed Ukrainian territory of Crimea, which was heavily damaged by an explosion in October.