Twelve dead in Kramatorsk. Biden called Putin a "pariah"
The toll of Russian bombings that destroyed a restaurant in the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk rose Thursday morning to 12 dead and about 60 wounded. US President Joe Biden called Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin a "pariah", while the Russian military insists it is not targeting any civilian objects in Ukraine.
Ukrainian rescuers reported that on the morning of June 29, another lifeless body was pulled out from under the rubble. Thus, the death toll reached 12. As for the injured, the numbers differ, with the police announcing 65 and the emergency services - 60. According to the latter, three children are among the 12 dead and one was injured. Eleven people were rescued. Emergency services announced that the rescue work had ended. According to police, Russia fired two S-300 missiles - surface-to-air devices it also uses for ground strikes - at the city of Kramatorsk, which had a population of 150,000 before the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the attack as "terrorist" and announced the arrest of an individual who "coordinated" the Russian attack in his speech on Wednesday night.
Putin - "a pariah on the whole planet"
At the same time, President Joe Biden declared that Vladimir Putin is currently "a pariah on the whole planet". Asked if Vladimir Putin is weakened, the US president replied: "It's hard to say, but it's clear that he's losing the war."
Russia's Defense Ministry admitted it had struck the city of Kramatorsk, but denied it had targeted civilian targets. The Russian military says it hit a "temporary deployment point" of the 56th Mechanized Infantry Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov assured that Russia "does not hit civilian infrastructure."
Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused Russia of "violating" the laws of war
The strike destroyed the Ria Pizza restaurant, a popular spot in the city center for journalists, aid workers and soldiers. Ukrainian media reported the presence of foreign military instructors in the city.
Three prominent Colombians, the famous writer Hector Abad, the politician Sergio Jaramillo and the journalist Catalina Gomez, reporter in Ukraine for France 24, were slightly injured while dining in the restaurant with the Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina, according to a statement. The latter, a 37-year-old novelist, "is in a critical condition", the statement added.
Kramatorsk is a major railway hub and home to military sites and is regularly targeted by Russian bombing.
The bloodiest was the train bombing in April 2022, which killed 61 people and injured more than 160, weeks after the Russian invasion began and just as crowds of civilians were trying to leave the city.
