On Monday, the Kremlin blamed Washington for an attack on Crimea that killed at least four people and injured 151 the previous day. The attack carried out with US-supplied Atacms missiles, prompted Russia's foreign ministry to summon US ambassador Lynne Tracy and warn that retaliation would follow. The ministry told Tracy that the US was "waging a hybrid war against Russia and has become a party to the conflict."
In response, a Pentagon spokesperson, Maj. Charlie Dietz said that Ukraine "makes its own targeting decisions and conducts its own military operations." A White House National Security Council spokesperson expressed regret over the loss of civilian life, stating "That certainly includes the thousands of innocent Ukrainians who have been killed by Russian forces since this Russian war of aggression began."
Despite the ongoing conflict, the EU will open membership talks with Ukraine on Tuesday, giving the country a political boost. The ceremony in Luxembourg will be more symbolic than substantive, as the actual negotiations will only commence after the EU has reviewed Ukrainian legislation to assess the reforms needed for Ukraine to meet the bloc's standards.
In a shake-up of Ukraine's military leadership, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has replaced the commander of the Joint Forces Command, Lt. Gen. Yuriy Sodol, with Brig. Gen. Andriy Hnatov. The change came after Bohdan Krotevych, the leader of Ukraine's revered Azov regiment, accused the unnamed general of causing significant military setbacks and major losses in personnel.
Zelenskyy also announced that Ukraine has struck more than 30 Russian oil processing and storage facilities, stating that "More than 30 oil refineries, terminals, and oil depots of the terrorist state have been hit." In a separate incident, a Russian double-tap missile attack in the eastern Ukrainian town of Pokrovsk killed at least five people and wounded 41 others, including four children. Zelenskyy vowed that Ukraine would respond to the attack "fairly."
Amid the ongoing conflict, the EU has imposed sanctions on 19 Chinese companies believed to be supporting Russia's war efforts in Ukraine. Additionally, EU governments have agreed to use 1.4 billion euros ($1.50 billion) in profits from frozen Russian assets for arms and other aid to Ukraine, prompting Hungary to accuse its fellow EU members of a "shameless" rule breach to bypass its objections.
Finally, the US is expected to announce on Tuesday that it is sending an additional $150 million in critically needed munitions to Ukraine, including munitions for the high mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS) and the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), which have been used by Ukraine in attacks on Russia.
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