First Thing: people killed in Russian strike on train station in eastern Ukraine
Donetsk governor says thousands were at station when it was struck. Plus, Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation to supreme court lauded as ray of hope
Hello and good morning,
Ukraine's state railway company has said more than 30 people have been killed and more than 100 were wounded after two Russian rockets struck Kramatorsk station in east Ukraine.
Russia gave the most somber assessment so far of its invasion of Ukraine yesterday, describing the tragedy" of mounting troop losses and the economic blow from sanctions. We have significant losses of troops," the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told Sky News. It's a huge tragedy for us."
What's going on in Mariupol? More than 100,000 people are still believed to be trapped in the besieged southern port city. Pro-Russian authorities said about 5,000 people had been killed and 60-70% of the housing stock at least partially destroyed.
What's the situation in Kyiv? Russian forces have pulled back from around the Ukrainian capital in recent days and are believed to be regrouping to focus on conquering the Donbas in the east. Lithuania's ambassador to Ukraine returned to the capital yesterday, becoming one of the few diplomats to return.
What happened in Dmytrivka? Soldiers fighting for Ukraine appeared to shoot a Russian prisoner of war outside the village west of Kyiv in a video posted online, a potential war crime. In the video, at least three men in camouflage, including one with a head wound and his hands tied behind his back, can be seen lying dead next to a fourth man, who is breathing heavily, and is shot multiple times.
Why is her confirmation so historic? In the supreme court's more than 200-year history a Black woman has never before served as a justice.
What was the Senate voting tally? 53 to 47, with all Democrats in favor. They were joined by three moderate Republicans, senators Mitt Romney of Utah, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine.
What does it mean for the court's ideological balance? The supreme court will still be bent 6-3 towards conservatives over liberals.
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