U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin invoked Russia’s war on Ukraine as a reminder that security in Asia “can’t be taken for granted” in a speech at defense talks in Singapore. “Russia’s shocking aggression” shows “people everywhere how dangerous our world would become if big countries could just invade their peaceful neighbors with impunity,” he said on Saturday.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the capital’s shelters would be operational around-the-clock, after residents seeking cover from a Russian air attack earlier this week found their nearest shelter was locked. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused city officials of negligence after three people were killed and nearly 12 others injured in Thursday’s missile attack.
Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.
Kyiv has suffered a wave of air attacks, most during the night, sending people into closets, bathrooms, basements of subway stations for shelter.
Ukraine’s new arsenal of air defense systems supplied by its U.S. and European allies have enabled its forces to bring down most of the drones and missiles targeting the capital. “But the same air defenses that protect the city of more than 3 million people have also made it a higher-value target,” they write.
Ishaan Tharoor contributed to this report.