Attack on Russian military base denounced as terrorism

MOSCOW/KYIV — A "terrorist "attack on a Russian military training ground in the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine left at least 11 dead and 15 wounded, Russian news agencies said on Saturday.

Two citizens of a former Soviet state opened fire during training and "both were killed in retaliatory fire", state-run news agencies quoted the ministry as saying.

"On Oct 15, two citizens of a CIS country committed an act of terror at a training range of the Western military district in the Belgorod region," the ministry was quoted as saying.

The CIS, or Commonwealth of Independent States, was formed between republics that were part of the former Soviet Union.

The ministry said the attack had taken place during a training session for those volunteering to go to Ukraine.

"As a result, 11 people were fatally wounded. Another 15 people suffered injuries of varying gravity and were taken to medical facilities."

The two attackers "were killed in retaliatory fire", the ministry said.

In Kyiv, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that his troops were facing the "most difficult" situation near the eastern town of Bakhmut.

"A very severe situation persists in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions," Zelensky said.

Western supplies

In Washington, the administration of US President Joe Biden said on Friday that it will send Ukraine more weapons and other military assistance valued at $725 million.

Officials said no major new weapons are included. Instead, the aid is largely aimed at restocking thousands of rounds of ammunition for the weapons systems Ukraine has been using.

The new munitions will include rounds for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, a weapon that has improved Ukraine's ability to strike ammunition depots, bridges and other key targets that erode Russia's ability to resupply troops. The US has already sent 20 of the systems to Ukraine and has promised 18 more that would be delivered in the coming years.

France has said it will train up to 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers on its soil. The Minister for the Armed Forces, Sebastien Lecornu, said France will also provide Ukraine with Crotale air-defence systems "to allow them to defend their skies".

Russia's President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that any direct clash of NATO troops with Russia would lead to a "global catastrophe".

"I hope that those who are saying this are smart enough not to take such steps," Putin said in the Kazakh capital, Astana.

The Polish operator of an oil pipeline running to Germany said on Saturday that it has fixed the damage that caused a leak last week and that the flow of crude oil from Russia has been fully restored.

The state-run operator PERN said that both lines of the Druzhba pipeline were operating normally.

Agencies Via Xinhua