War in Ukraine: three children among 13 killed in Russian drone strikes in Kharkov

At least 13 people died overnight from Friday to Saturday in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine. This is a preliminary assessment of drone strikes carried out by Russia. Three children are among the victims. Regional Governor Oleg Sinegubov clarifies that the children were “7 years old, 4 years old and about 6 months old.”

Seven people were previously reported dead. However, according to the Ukrainian media outlet Kiev Independent, the total death toll was re-estimated a little after 10:30 (9:30 Paris time) by the regional prosecutor Alexander Filachkov after the discovery of more bodies.

Iranian-made Shaded drones “crashed into a gas station and caused a spill of burning fuel, causing 14 private houses to catch fire,” said city mayor Igor Terekhov, adding that the fire engulfed a large area and led to the evacuation of about fifty people.

“Three drones struck the Nemyshlyansky district of Kharkov. Sensitive infrastructure was destroyed,” said the prosecutor of the Kharkov region, referring to the gas station. “There was a huge amount of fuel there, which explains why the fire was so bad,” he said. “14 houses were destroyed,” said Vladimir Timochko, head of the Kharkov police. The attack came after a series of overnight attacks further east, in the town of Velikiy Burluk.

NATO calls for increased arms production

The Secretary General of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) also called on Europeans to increase arms production to increase supplies to Ukraine and prevent a confrontation with Russia, “which could last for decades.”

Less than a week before the meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Belgium, on February 15 and 16, Jens Stoltenberg, in an interview published this Saturday in the German press, insisted that “we need to replenish and develop our industrial base faster in order to increase supplies to Ukraine and replenish our own reserves.”

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“This means a transition from slow production in peacetime to fast production in times of conflict,” he told Welt am Sonntag. “There is no immediate military threat against a NATO ally. At the same time, the Kremlin (Editor’s note: residence of the Russian President) regularly makes threats against NATO countries. »

Stressing that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine almost two years ago showed that “peace in Europe is not a given,” he insisted on the importance of defending the countries of the alliance. “As long as we invest in our security and remain united, we will continue to deter aggression. Finally, he warns against the risk of long-term tensions: “NATO is not seeking war with Russia. But we must prepare for a confrontation that could last decades. »