Russian attacks kill nine in Ukraine as Moscow courts China, Iran, North Korea

Russian attack drones and shelling killed at least nine people in Ukraine as Kyiv sought more air defence missiles and other arms from its western allies and Moscow sought to strengthen ties with China and Iran in the wake of a summit with North Korea.

Ukrainian officials said at least six people died on Tuesday when Russia shelled the vehicle of volunteers evacuating civilians from the frontline town of Kupiansk. Earlier, two people were killed when shells hit the southeastern city of Kherson, and one was killed when attack drones hit warehouses in Lviv, near the western border with Poland.

“As of now, six civilians have been killed in Kupiansk: two women and four men...The enemy fired at a car of volunteers who were evacuating civilians,” said Serhii Bolvinov, the head of Kharkiv region’s police investigative department.

“We are continuing to recover the dead from the nearby river and from the destroyed vehicles…Unfortunately, we are finding more bodies. Therefore, the number of victims will be updated.”

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In the early hours of Tuesday, Russia fired 30 attack drones at Ukraine, 27 of which were shot down. Three evaded air defences and struck a warehouse in Lviv, setting warehouses ablaze and killing a man who worked there.

“I condemn in the strongest terms a Russian air strike that destroyed the warehouse of the non-governmental organization Caritas-Spes in Lviv…The vital humanitarian facility, which contained approximately 300 tonnes of relief supplies, was burned to the ground,” said Denise Brown, the United Nations humanitarian co-ordinator for Ukraine.

“Humanitarian workers, facilities and assets are protected under international humanitarian law. Direct attacks or indiscriminate attacks are strictly prohibited. International humanitarian law is not an option, it is an obligation and must be upheld.”

New Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov met for the first time with counterparts from dozens of countries that supply Kyiv with arms under the co-called Ramstein format.

“In recent months, Russia has continued to target Ukraine’s ports and its grain infrastructure. These attacks so far have destroyed at least 280,000 tonnes of grain. That’s enough to feed as many as 10.5 million people for a year. Russia’s attacks continue to threaten global food security,” said US defence secretary Lloyd Austin.

“So this contact group has stepped up with donations of…air-defence systems. And those defensive systems will continue to protect Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, including grain and energy supplies,” he added. “I urged allies and partners to dig deep and donate whatever air-defence munitions they can as Ukraine heads into another winter of war.”

Ukraine’s SBU security service reiterated on Tuesday that it believes a Russian S-300 missile hit the eastern city of Kostiantynivka on September 6th, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more, after a New York Times investigation found that a Ukrainian air defence rocket was probably to blame.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy is expected to press US counterpart Joe Biden for more long-range missiles when they meet this week, as Russia seeks to strengthen ties with China, Iran and North Korea.

Western states suspect Russian president Vladimir Putin discussed arms supplies from North Korea when its leader Kim Jong-un paid him a visit last week, and on Tuesday Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu flew to Tehran, which has provided Moscow with many hundreds of explosive Shahed attack drones.

“This visit will contribute to strengthening Russian-Iranian military ties and will be an important stage in the development of co-operation between the two countries,” the Russian defence ministry said.

China’s top diplomat Wang Yi is now visiting Russia as the neighbours deepen relations, and the Kremlin announced that Mr Putin would visit Beijing next month.