Air Raid Sirens In Kyiv As World Leaders Arrive For Third Anniversary
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Air raid sirens wailed throughout Kyiv Monday as a dozen world leaders arrived in the Ukrainian capital on the 3rd anniversary of the war that broke out with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
“Danger of missiles over the entire territory of Ukraine,” warned the Ukrainian air force on social media platform Telegram, referring to a Russian Mig-31 fighter jet that reportedly took off with missiles on board.
There was no immediate confirmation from Moscow, but it came just hours after Ukraine’s military said its drones struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Ryazan Oblast.
Kyiv views oil refineries to be “legitimate military targets” as “profits from the fossil fuel industry fund Russia’s war machine.”
At least five explosions were reportedly heard near the facility, and Ryazan Oblast Governor Pavel Malkov confirmed that falling drone debris had caused a fire at “one of the enterprises” in the region.
Malkov added no one was injured in the attack on the Ryazan Oil Refinery, one of Russia’s five largest oil refining facilities, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) from the Russia-Ukraine border.
Kyiv claims fuel produced at the enterprise is used for Russian missile strikes against Ukraine, but those allegations could not be verified. The Ryazan Oil Refinery previously suspended operations due to damage from Ukrainian drone attacks on January 24 and January 26, industry sources said.
EUROPE WORRIED
The strikes underscored concerns in Europe over how the war will end.
News emerged Monday that leaders of the 27 European Union countries will, therefore, hold an emergency summit on March 6 to discuss the next steps for Ukraine and Europe’s security.
European Union’s European Council President Antonio Costa announced that he is convening the summit in Brussels. Costa added, “We are living a defining moment for Ukraine and European security.”
Since the EU leaders last met on February 3, U.S. President Donald J. Trump and his administration have raised doubts about American support for Ukraine and decades of commitment to defending European allies.
However, in Kyiv, several world leaders rallied around Ukraine, including the president of the European Union’s executive European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Costa, and the leaders of Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Norway, Spain and Sweden.
There were no signs that the U.S. sent a representation to Kyiv to mark the third anniversary of Europe’s bloodiest conflict since the Second World War.
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