Russian attacks in Ukraine leave 3 killed, 17 wounded, as Spanish leader visits Kyiv

 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, welcomes visiting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of Spain in Kyiv on July 1, 2023. (Ukrainian Presidential Office via AP)

PM Sánchez's visit a show of continuing support from Madrid and the EU for Ukraine’s fight to dislodge invading Russian forces

KYIV, Ukraine: Ukrainian officials reported more civilian casualties from Russian shelling in the country’s east and south on Saturday, as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez began a visit to Kyiv as a show of continuing support from Madrid and the European Union for Ukraine’s fight to dislodge invading Russian forces.

“I am here to express the firm determination of the European (Union) and Europe against the illegal and unjustified Russian aggression to Ukraine,” he said on the day that Spain took over the six-month rotating presidency of the 27-nation EU.

At a later news conference with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Sanchez announced Spain would deliver more heavy weaponry to Ukraine including four Leopard tanks and armored personnel carriers, as well as a portable field hospital. He also said Spain will provide an additional 55 million euros to help with reconstruction needs.Five people including a child were wounded on Friday and overnight in the Kherson region in the south, regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said. Prokudin said that Russian forces launched 82 artillery, drone, mortar shell and rocket attacks on the province, which is cut in two by a stretch of the 1,500-kilometer (930 mile) front line and still reeling from flooding unleashed by the collapse earlier this month of a major Dnipro river dam.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visits a military hospital in Kyiv on July 1, 2023, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine. (Ukraine State Border Guard photo via REUTERS)

“Russia is technically ready to provoke a local explosion at the station that could cause an emission of dangerous substances in the air. We are clearly communicating, we discussed the need with our partners so everyone understands why Russia is doing this,” he said.

Wagner camp in Belarus

Satellite images analyzed by The Associated Press on Saturday showed what appeared to be a newly built military-style camp in Belarus, with statements from a Belarusian guerrilla group and officials suggesting it may be used to house fighters from the Wagner mercenary group.

The images provided by Planet Labs PLC suggest that dozens of tents were erected within the past two weeks at a former military base outside Osipovichi, a town 230 kilometers (142 miles) north of the Ukrainian border. A satellite photo taken on Jun.