Shopping mall hit by Russian missile; deaths reported

Russia intensified its campaign of terror Monday with a missile strike that appears to have killed or wounded scores of people in a crowded shopping mall in the central Ukraine city of Kremenchuk.

At least 10 deaths were immediately reported. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the number of possible victims was “unimaginable,” adding that the target presented “no threat to the Russian army” and had “no strategic value.”

Russia launched 60 missiles into Ukraine over the weekend — a barrage that killed civilians and destroyed and damaged apartment buildings — in what could be a protest of the G-7 meetings in Germany or the arrival of US-rocket artillery for Ukrainian troops, a senior Defense Department official said Monday.

The missile attack that struck apartments may have targeted a nearby ammunition factory, said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about intelligence assessments. The weekend’s missile launches are part of an uptick in such attacks in recent weeks, the official said.

Latest updates:

►The newly supplied High Mobility Rocket System, which doubles the artillery range for Ukrainian forces to 40 miles, has been used in its first attacks to good effect against the Russians in eastern Ukraine, the senior Defense Department official also said.

►White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Ukraine will receive urgently needed air-defense systems to target incoming missiles. (Read more below)

►There are signs of growing resistance to Russian occupation in southern Ukraine with the assassination of local officials installed by Russia, the Pentagon official said.

MAPPING AND TRACKING: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

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Russians moving into homes left vacant by Ukrainians who fled carnage

About 7,500 civilians remain in Sievierodonetsk, two days after the last sections of the city fell to Russian troops, Major Oleksandr Striuk said. Russian soldiers have begun moving into houses left vacant by Ukrainians who fled the city, he said.

“They put their soldiers and officers into the houses,” Striuk said. “They act like the city belongs to them.”

Last week, Gov. Serhiy Haidai announced that Ukrainian troops would conduct a “tactical withdrawal” from the charred ruins of a city that just months ago was home to over 100,000 people.

Sen. Risch visits kyiv, marvels at Ukraine resilience

Sen. James Risch, the top-ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Monday after a covered visit to Ukraine that the US ally needs more heavy weapons to fend off Russia.

The Ukrainians are still fighting hard, but they could use more missiles, advanced rocket systems and artillery, Risch said in a phone interview as he completed his trip. Risch, from Idaho, said he spent about 90 minutes Sunday talking with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the country’s needs.

“On the battlefield, they’ve got to match what the Russians have. They know that. Everyone knows that,” Risch said. “But I think ours was much more of a discussion about how we move forward. We had a very constructive conversation.”

Russian missiles struck the Ukrainian city of Kyiv on Sunday just before Risch arrived. The Ukrainian government said the attack killed one person and wounded six others.

“Yet by Sunday afternoon, people were out, going into the parks, restaurants were full up, full traffic on the street,” Risch said. “I’ve been to war zones before, and I’ve never seen reconstruction going on while the war was still going on. The bridges that had been taken out, virtually all of them have already been repaired.”

Russian hackers claim responsibility for Lithuania cyber attacks

Lithuania was hit with cyber attacks Monday, days after Moscow promised to retaliate over transit sanctions that cut off some goods from Russia’s Kaliningrad region.

Lithuania’s Defense Ministry said an “intensive” attack was targeting “the secure national data network, other Lithuanian public authorities and private companies.”

Killnet, a Russia-affiliated hacker group, says it launched the attacks in retaliation for the restrictions imposed by Lithuania, which cited European Union sanctions. Lithuania restricted the transit of sanctioned steel and ferrous metals to Kaliningrad, cut off from Russia but sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania. Russia has accused Lithuania and the EU of violating international agreements.

Brittney Griner trial to begin Friday in Russia

The criminal trial for WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner, held in a Russia jail for four months since her arrest at a Moscow airport, will begin Friday, a court in the suburban Moscow city of Khimki ruled Monday.

Griner, who appeared at her preliminary hearing in handcuffs, could face 10 years in prison if convicted on charges of transporting drugs.

Griner, 31, has been detained in Russia since Feb. 17, when she was stopped at Sheremetyevo International Airport for allegedly carrying vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her carry-on luggage. A week later Russia sent troops into Ukraine and already strained US-Russian relations grew worse.

Last month, the State Department classified her as wrongfully detained and shifted oversight of her case to its special presidential envoy for hostage affairs — effectively the US government’s chief negotiator.

Fewer than 1% of defendants in Russian criminal cases are acquitted.

Lysychansk is latest Ukraine city to be blasted by Russian artillery

Russian missiles and artillery pounded the eastern city of Lysychansk on Monday, bringing “catastrophic destruction” to the last city in the Luhansk region not controlled by the invading forces.

Gov. Serhiy Haidai said at least five high-rise buildings were destroyed, one of them holding 10 apartments.

“The Russians do not stop destroying housing, industrial and administrative facilities,” he said on Telegram. “There is no hour when the enemy artillery calms down.”

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Monday that the US will provide Ukraine with a new air defense system capable of shooting down missiles. They may not be soon enough, however, be enough to keep Russian forces from seizing Lysychansk.

Seizing the city would give Russian forces virtually complete control of Luhansk, one of two regions making up Ukraine’s industrial Donbas region that has been the target of Russia’s aggression since a brief, failed run at the capital Kyiv.

New Ukraine aid package to include advanced air defense systems

A new aid package for Ukraine will include new air defense systems, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Monday. Sullivan said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to the G-7 about Sunday’s missile attacks on Kyiv and asked for additional air defense capabilities that could shoot down missiles.

“We do intend to finalize a package that includes advanced medium and long-range air defense capabilities for the Ukrainians, along with some other items that are of urgent need, including ammunition for artillery and counter-battery radar systems,” Sullivan said, according to a pool report.”What we’re trying to do with this point is tailor our military assistance to the particular, immediate needs of Ukrainians on the battlefield.”

Sullivan said that Zelenskyy made it clear to officials that a lengthy, grinding conflict is not in the interest of the Ukrainian people. Zelenskyy, Sullivan said, wants to see his military and Western allies who are supporting his military use the next few months to get Ukraine “in as good a position as they can possibly be in.”

“He believes that a grinding conflict is not in the interest of the Ukrainian people for obvious reasons,” Sullivan said.

G-7 leaders may cap prices for Russian oil

Group of Seven nations are moving closer to capping the price that countries can pay for Russian oil, a senior US official said. The official said leaders aim to further restrict President Vladimir Putin’s cash flow, bring down prices at the gas pump and provide greater stability to energy markets.

Leaders were said to be zeroing in on the way Russian oil is shipped. The US official said G-7 leaders are planning to direct their governments to take urgent steps to design a price cap mechanism for countries that do not participate in the economic alliance.