Ukraine: ‘Several killed in Russian artillery fire’

By Stefan J. Bos 

Ukrainian officials said two women and a man aged 63 to 88 - were sitting on a bench in the village of Torske when Russian shelling hit.

All three passed away, the latest victims in a war believed to have killed and injured hundreds of thousands of people, including soldiers and civilians. 

Kyiv also said that a Russian drone attack on the Danube river port of Izmail destroyed 13,000 tons of grain, further threatening global food supplies. 

Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov stressed that the grain had been destined for export to Egypt and Romania, and the drone strike had reduced the port's export capacity by 15 percent.

The attacks came after the governor of Russia's Belgorod region said on Tuesday that three civilians had been killed in a Ukrainian drone strike on a sanatorium in the village of Lavy, close to the border between the two countries.

But there was more trouble for Russia. 

Moscow's mayor noted that a drone hit a building under construction in the central part of Russia’s capital early Wednesday after being shot down. 

Sergei Sobyanin added that Russia's military also downed two more drones over the western part of the Moscow region. 

Emergency crews could be seen rushing to the scene. 

While they have caused minor damage and no casualties, this targeted central district is less than 3 miles or 5 kilometers from the Kremlin. 

The drone strikes blamed on Ukraine have triggered travel chaos, with major airports around the Russian capital forced to close for departing and arriving flights repeatedly.

Pope Francis has repeatedly expressed concern about the escalating war, which is now in its 18th month.