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21-year-old pregnant mom detained at Dilley facility for over a month, family says

August 6, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — A 21-year-old pregnant mother has been detained, along with her infant son, for more than a month at the family immigration detention center in Dilley, Texas, her family and an advocacy group told ABC News.

Laura Rojas Ortiz was in the process of applying for a U visa — which is for victims or witnesses of crimes — when she was detained during a check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Texas, her mother said.

“She was called to appear [at an ICE office] in Dallas,” her mother, Paola, said in Spanish. “She showed up like she always does, and they detained her.”

Paola told ABC News that her daughter turned herself in at the southern border over a year ago with her infant son and partner. The mother claims Rojas Ortiz later began the process of applying for a U visa after there was a shooting in her neighborhood and a bullet went through the walls, allegedly grazing her son.

According to Paola and a friend of Rojas Ortiz, the 21-year-old had been wearing an ankle monitor and regularly checking in with ICE before she was detained with her son as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration crackdown.

Rojas Ortiz, who is five months pregnant, has been detained for more than 40 days, her family said. Her mother says Rojas Ortiz has a high-risk pregnancy and has not been seen by medical staff at Dilley.

“To this day, she hasn’t gotten an ultrasound or been seen by a specialist,” Paola told ABC News. “They haven’t done blood tests or anything.”

Immigrant advocacy groups have said that arrests and detentions of pregnant women violate an ICE directive stating that the agency should not “detain, arrest, or continue to detain individuals known to be pregnant, postpartum, or nursing” except under exceptional circumstances.

Paola said her grandson, who had been drinking only lactose-free milk, has been given whole milk at Dilley.

Paola also told ABC News that when lawmakers recently visited the facility, ICE staff moved her daughter to a “medical room,” where she was told she was going to be checked by a doctor.

“And when they left — so that the politicians wouldn’t see her pregnant — that’s when they let her out of that medical room,” Paola said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News.

Last week, Rep. Joaquin Castro, along with a group of Democratic lawmakers, visited the Dilley facility, where he said more than 500 people are currently detained. Castro said he was only allowed by staff to meet with one minor.

“There are now more children there than there were before,” Castro said at a press conference last week. “I believe that is the result of the ICE surge that we’ve seen over the last month or so. We’ve seen these raids on the street. We’ve seen families that have been torn apart on the street, brutality on the street.”

Casey Revkin, the executive director of Each Step Home, an organization that supports immigrant detainees, told ABC News that her group has been providing Rojas Ortiz with financial assistance.

“We’ve been filling Laura’s commissary account and the accounts of the families at Dilley every week. These deposits are a lifeline to families in detention,” Revkin said. “It’s heartbreaking to think of a child not eating, and we’re always so relieved when we hear that a mom was able to use the commissary support to buy her children food they can enjoy.”

Immigrant advocates, medical professionals, and lawmakers have previously raised concerns about conditions at the South Texas facility.

The top medical official at the Department of Homeland Security, which operates the nation’s migrant detention centers, has disputed any suggestion that detainees are being denied proper care.

“These allegations of illegal aliens being denied proper medical care in ICE custody are FALSE,” DHS Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sean Conley previously told ABC News in a statement. “It is both policy and longstanding practice for aliens to receive timely and appropriate medical care from the moment they enter ICE custody. This includes medical, dental, women’s health, mental health services, any needed follow-up medical appointments, as well as 24-hour emergency care.”

“This is better, more responsive healthcare than many aliens have ever received in their entire lives,” Conley’s statement said.

‘No final decision’ on future of Qatar-donated Air Force One after Trump’s term, White House official says

August 6, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — “No final decision has been made yet” about the future of the new Air Force One jet donated by Qatar following President Donald Trump’s second term, a White House official told ABC News.

Trump has pledged for more a year that the new Air Force One, a Boeing 747-8 that was given to the president in a controversial move, would be transferred to his presidential library after his term concluded.

Sources familiar with the proposed arrangement have previously told ABC News that ownership of the plane will be transferred shortly before Trump leaves office to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation.

Questions about the president’s plans for the plane remain — including whether Trump would keep it for personal use, if he would leave it for the next president as part of the Air Force One fleet, or if there are other plans in store.

The gifted plane has long been expected to be used as the new Air Force One until shortly before Trump leaves office, at which time ownership of the plane will be transferred to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation, sources familiar with the proposed arrangement have previously told ABC News.

The White House official’s comments on Wednesday followed reports from NBC News and The New York Times that called into question the fate of the plane.

Trump’s son Eric Trump reportedly told NBC News in a text message that it was “not the plan” for the jet to be delivered to the library. “No. That’s not the plan at the moment for Miami,” he reportedly texted the outlet.

Eric Trump, who is involved in developing his father’s presidential library in Miami, suggested that an older decommissioned Air Force One jet would instead be going to the library, not the Qatari-gifted one, NBC News reported.

The Qatari royal family’s donation of the luxury jet valued at approximately $400 million, an unprecedented foreign gift, raised questions from some lawmakers and ethics experts.

The Air Force last year originally estimated it would cost less than $400 million to retrofit the plane to meet stringent security standards, though it’s unclear how much exactly has been spent so far.

Prior to the jet’s first presidential flight in July, the U.S. Air Force said it had been modifying the jet Texas since September to meet the security, communications and other needs to transport the president. Many of the details of the retrofitting on the new plane are considered classified.

Trump in July said plane would be further “maxed out” with security features, undergoing an upgrade that was expected to put it out of commission for about a month in the near future.

Those comments came after the plane carried Trump to July’s NATO summit in Turkey. As Trump prepared to depart the summit, the Secret Service urged the president to take the older Air Force One jet as a precaution, due in part for the differences in security capabilities, ABC News learned at the time.

When asked in May 2025 by ABC News’ Rachel Scott about the future of the plane, the president said it would be sent “directly” to his presidential library after he leaves office, adding, “I wouldn’t be using it, no.”

Trump repeatedly referenced former President Ronald Reagan’s library as a model for his own. A Boeing 707 Air Force One jet was retired to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, in 2001.

“Someday, it will be like Ronald Reagan, they decommission them,” Trump said during the May 2025 event. “You know, they get to a certain age, they decommission them. It’ll go to my library. They’re talking about going to my library in years out.”

ABC News’ Rachel Scott contributed to this report.

Senate committee votes to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress

August 6, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Republicans on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Thursday voted to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress.

The committee’s party-line vote of 8-5 comes after Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment against self-incrimination and declined to answer questions at a hearing last week about his role in handling the COVID-19 pandemic and its origins.

A contempt resolution would normally now head to the full Senate, where it would require 60 votes. It is unlikely the Fauci resolution would receive enough support in the full Senate to pass.

Democrats attempted several times on Thursday to table the resolution but were unsuccessful.

Republican Sen. Rand Paul, the committee’s chair, said Fauci could not plead the Fifth Amendment given he was preemptively pardoned by President Joe Biden out of fear of political prosecution.

“Dr. Fauci’s assertion of the Fifth Amendment privilege was unsupported in light of the pardon and the testimony he offered in his opening statement,” Paul said ahead of the vote.

“We are voting on whether a witness who has received the benefit of a sweeping federal pardon can be ordered by this committee to answer questions and then defy that order without consequence,” Paul added.

Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, the committee’s ranking member, criticized the vote and the “damaging precedent” it sets, saying this “could harm our ability to conduct future investigations and disregards constitutional protections long recognized by the U.S. Senate.”

“This resolution will not provide the committee with any additional information, or compel Dr. Fauci to provide answers to our inquiries. Criminal contempt is punitive; it does not compel a witness to answer questions or produce the documents we’d all like to see,” Peters said.

Peters also condemned Paul’s suggestion of possibly referring the contempt resolution directly to the Department of Justice after the vote, saying “that would be even more dangerous and widely unprecedented move.”

Salmonella outbreak linked to jalapenos served at Chipotle expands to Qdoba: FDA

August 6, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Health officials are expanding an investigation into jalapenos served at Chipotle restaurants to include Qdoba restaurants. The Food and Drug Administration said the jalapenos may be a possible source of a growing salmonella outbreak that has infected 345 people across 27 states.

Both restaurants have removed the jalapenos from their stores, the FDA said.

Qdoba said in a statement to ABC News that it is “cooperating with public health authorities” in the investigation and have pulled jalapenos from their restaurants.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we have proactively removed jalapenos from all our restaurants at this time,” the restaurant chain said. “We take any report involving guest health seriously and are committed to responding appropriately based on the facts and guidance from public health authorities.”

“Food safety is our highest priority,” Qdoba added. “We maintain rigorous food safety standards and work closely with our suppliers, distribution partners, and restaurant teams to help ensure the safety and quality of the food we serve.”

Chipotle previously told ABC News they had removed jalapenos from affected restaurants in multiple states as well.

“We have a robust ingredient traceability system and, upon learning of a potential Salmonella outbreak in the supply chain impacting several food service retailers, we proactively identified jalapenos as a potential common ingredient from a common lot, removed them from the restaurants where they had been distributed, and replaced them with product from different growers,” Laurie Schalow, Chipotle’s chief corporate affairs and food safety officer, said in a statement.

The FDA identified through a traceback investigation that both Chipotle and Qdoba received food ingredients that were grown in Mexico and imported by Coast Citrus Distributors from Sinaloa. Coast Citrus Distributors has since agreed to recall jalapeno product from the market, per the FDA.

Salmonella are bacteria that can cause a common foodborne illness called salmonellosis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Infections tend to occur more in the summer, when warmer weather presents ideal conditions for the bacteria to grow, the agency states.

Symptoms of a salmonella infection may include watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, headache, nausea, vomiting, and a loss of appetite, according to the CDC. Symptoms can start anywhere from six hours to six days after infection and can last from four to seven days, the agency says.

According to the CDC, the highest number of reported salmonella cases are currently located in Minnesota and Colorado, with at least 110 cases in each state so far. Overall, there have been zero deaths reported but 36 have been hospitalized, the CDC said.

The Minnesota Department of Health previously told ABC News the agency expects the number of salmonella cases to potentially increase in the coming days, noting that “it takes us a while to detect cases in surveillance.”

“Our investigations often start with speaking to persons diagnosed with a foodborne illness that were reported to the health department as part of our surveillance,” the department said. “We’d like to ask the public to please answer our calls. The information they provide is critical to solving outbreaks quickly.”

The FDA said it does not consider there to be an ongoing risk from eating at Qdoba or Chipotle restaurants.

Each year, the CDC estimates the U.S. sees about 1.35 million salmonella infections.

ABC News has reached out to GrubMarket, which owns Coast Citrus Distributors for comment.

2 New Jersey municipal water systems targeted in cyberattacks

August 5, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Two municipal water systems in New Jersey were targeted in cyberattacks in the last week, widely thought to be the work of Iran, the state said Wednesday.

The affected utilities, which were not named, were temporarily blinded when automated systems went down. Both utilities shifted to manual operations and the state said there was no disruption to service and both systems have been “secured with strengthened access controls.”

“Our New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell (NJCCIC) responded to two cyber incidents affecting New Jersey municipal water systems this past week. The NJCCIC is working directly with the affected utilities alongside our federal partners at the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency,” the state said Wednesday.

“The investigations found that the incidents involved vulnerable internet-exposed control systems, which temporarily limited operators’ ability to monitor or manage them remotely. In both cases, staff shifted quickly to manual operations, and there was no disruption to service. Customers had uninterrupted access to safe drinking water throughout,” the state said.

Sources told ABC News that Iran remains the prime suspect, perhaps showing how it could retaliate as President Donald Trump threatens to escalate the war.

Officials are also assessing whether this could be the work of a different state actor mimicking Iran’s tactics in a possible attempt to influence what the U.S. does next.

In Georgia, the Clayton County Water Authority briefly issued a boil-water advisory when it was targeted by hackers. Columbus Water Works said it also detected an intrusion, but drinking water was unaffected.

The recent hacks, affecting water and wastewater utilities in at least a dozen states, exploited a vulnerability in widely used utility software, sources told ABC News.

A fix has been issued, but utilities across the country that run the same software are racing to see if they were also hacked.

So far, it appears nobody has become sick, and there have been no widespread disruptions to water supplies. However, officials are still working to understand the scope of the hack and what could have happened to systems Americans depend on every day.

Former Olympian David Hearn’s attorneys want Reflecting Pool vandalism case permanently dismissed

August 5, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Attorneys for David Hearn, who was alleged to have vandalized the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, filed a motion in D.C. Superior Court, citing “exceptional facts and circumstances” to have the indictment against him dismissed with prejudice.

The Justice Department moved last week to dismiss the criminal case against Hearn, a former Olympian, acknowledging the damage to the pool “was the result of flawed installation by the contractor.”

The filing by Hearn’s attorneys follows U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s motion on Friday seeking to dismiss the case without prejudice, which could still leave Mr. Hearn exposed to a future indictment.

If the motion filed by Hearn’s attorneys is granted, it would block the government from trying to charge him again for the same alleged crime in the future.

“Here, amid extraordinary political pressure and public pronouncements from President Trump demanding action, and in apparent disregard for their special duties as prosecutors, USAO-DC rushed to obtain a public felony indictment,” the filing states, using an acronym for the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia.

“Defying both decency and common sense, the government proceeded to indict Mr. Hearn before it had obtained or evaluated the information necessary to establish a good-faith basis for the charge,” the filing continued.

“The Court should not leave the defendant subject to the possibility of renewed prosecution,” the filing states.

Hearn pleaded not guilty to a felony destruction of property charge last month after Pirro’s office accused him of allegedly “forcefully and violently” ripping up parts of the pool floor.

Citing President Donald Trump’s comments on the matter in recent days, the attorneys representing Hearns added, “That is particularly true when the President of the United States has already voiced his vigorous disagreement with USAO-DC’s dismissal of the case against Mr. Hearn — saying that the U.S. Attorney “choked,” “folded like an umbrella,” and “made a mistake,” and doubling down on the false claim that the damage was caused by vandalism — and has previously not hesitated to insinuate himself into cases that historically have been the exclusive province of the DOJ.”

Should the court deny the motion to dismiss the indictment with prejudice, Hearn’s attorneys asked the court to disclose grand jury materials or to conduct a review in chambers of those materials before granting the government’s motion to dismiss the case without prejudice.

Released Nancy Guthrie ransom notes generated ‘slight increase’ in tips: Sheriff’s department

August 5, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The recent release of two credible ransom notes sent to Nancy Guthrie’s family in the days after her abduction generated a “slight increase” in tips, but none that have cracked the case, authorities told ABC News.

The 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie was kidnapped from her Tucson, Arizona, home in the early hours of Feb. 1 and remains missing.

On Friday, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department released details from two ransom notes received by Tucson media in the days after the abduction.

The first note, sent on Feb. 2 to Savannah Guthrie, said, “We have your mother Nancy. She is safe but scared.” The note asked for millions of dollars in Bitcoin and said “she will be killed” if payment was not received.

The note included descriptions of a smartwatch near her bed and a damaged floodlight in the home’s backyard.

The second note, sent on Feb. 6 to the Guthrie family, said Nancy Guthrie died and “is buried in nature now,” according to the sheriff’s department.

“We did not fully grasp the seriousness of her physical condition,” the note stated. “We never intended to hurt her, that was not our intention. She perished shortly after she was taken.”

The note included an apology and said to the family, “Nothing you could have done could have changed the outcome. We want your family to know this and hope you all can find peace.”

In response to an inquiry from ABC News, the sheriff’s department said Tuesday that “investigators have seen a slight increase in tips since the two ransom notes were released,” adding that “all tips have been followed up on.”

Savannah Guthrie again pleaded for help in an Instagram post Saturday, writing, “We need someone to come forward.”

“Someone knows something. Someone suspects something,” the journalist said. “Someone recognizes the writing in the ransom demand notes. Someone has noticed something different, strange, troubling or just unusual — perhaps with someone they deeply love. Perhaps they are afraid to come forward.”

“We are real people, facing real grief,” she said. “We will never stop looking for answers.”

Anyone with information is urged to call 911, the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, or the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900.

Cause determined in the deadly 2025 Eaton Fire in Southern California: Officials

August 5, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — More than 18 months after it ignited and became one of the most destructive wildfires in U.S. history, authorities announced the cause of the 2025 Eaton Fire in Southern California.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACFD) and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) on Tuesday released a report blaming the Eaton Fire on electrical arcing events that took place on an out-of-service Southern California Edison (SCE) tower.

The Eaton Fire, which started on Jan. 7, 2025, ravaged the community of Altadena near Los Angeles, killing 19 people and destroying more than 9,400 homes and businesses, authorities said.

“I recognize that no report or investigation into the Eaton Fire can ease the deep pain and tragedy our residents have endured,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone said in a statement. “While the cause has been determined, our focus remains on assisting our residents to rebuild their homes and livelihoods, and ensuring lessons learned drive meaningful and impactful change in memory of the 19 lives lost.”

SCE is the primary electric utility company for much of the Southern California, serving 15 million people.

Lawyers representing plaintiffs in numerous lawsuits against SCE released a joint statement, saying the report leaves the company “no place to hide,” and called it “an important step toward accountability.”

Besides the thousands of homes lost in the Eaton Fire, more than 1,000 other homes were damaged, according to the plaintiffs’ lawyers.

The Eaton Fire caused an estimated $8 billion to $10 billion in damage, according to a 2025 report by Verisk, a global data analytics company serving the insurance sector.

“It’s time for Edison to stop fighting the victims it harmed and provide every Eaton Fire survivor with the full compensation they deserve,” the plaintiffs’ lawyers said.

The report by LACFD and Cal Fire found that the origin of the Eaton Fire was a hillside transmission tower above Eaton Canyon Wash, and sparks from the arching electrical lines set dry vegetation beneath the tower on fire. Gusting winds in the area rapidly spread the blaze into residential areas of Altadena, destroying block after block of homes and prompting thousands of evacuations.

It took about a month for firefighters to fully extinguish the Eaton conflagration, which burned about 22 square miles.

The Eaton Fire occurred the same week as the Palisades Fire, which killed 12 people and wiped out more than 6,800 homes in nearby Pacific Palisades and Malibu. The cause of the Palisades Fire was determined to be arson, and a 29-year-old Florida man was arrested in October of 2025 on charges of setting the fire, officials said.

Together, the Eaton and Palisades fires caused an estimated $28 billion in damage, according to Verisk.

David Eisenhauer, an SCE spokesperson, told ABC News on Tuesday afternoon that the utility giant is reviewing the report from the LA County Fire Department and Cal Fire.

“We have taken our potential role in the start of this fire seriously from the beginning,” Eisenhauer said. “As we’ve previously said, SCE believes that it is likely that its equipment was associated with the ignition of the Eaton Fire.”

Eisenhauer added, “Our hearts are with the Altadena community, and we continue to support them as they recover and rebuild through our Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program.”

ABC News reported on Jan. 13, 2025, as the Eaton and Palisades fires were still burning, that one possible theory for the cause of the Eaton blaze involved transmission lines or electric facilities.

At the time, witnesses shared with ABC News Ring camera and cellphone videos that appeared to show what they believe to be the start of the Eaton Fire at the base of a transmission tower in the Eaton Canyon area.

In their report, fire investigators said that pursuant to the California Public Utilities Code, “SCE is to maintain and operate its electrical lines and equipment in a manner that would minimize the risk of catastrophic wildfire posed by them.”

SCE has claimed in lawsuits filed earlier this year that Los Angeles County emergency authorities failed to send timely evacuation warnings to residents in east and west Altadena. Most of the people who died in the fire lived in west Altadena.

Small Texas law firm without immigration expertise set to receive $150M contract to represent unaccompanied migrant children

August 5, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Small Texas law firm without immigration expertise set to receive 0M contract to represent unaccompanied migrant children

Small Texas law firm without immigration expertise set to receive $150M contract to represent unaccompanied migrant children — A logo is displayed on the doors to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) headquarters at the Hubert H. Humphrey Building on May 30, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — The Trump administration is set to award a multimillion-dollar contract to a small Texas law firm without immigration expertise to provide legal representation for thousands of unaccompanied migrant children in government custody during immigration proceedings.

In a notice published in the Federal Register, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced its intent to award the $150 million contract to Burke Law Group, a law firm headquartered in Houston, Texas.

The notice states the contract would “provide legal orientation, legal consultation, and attorney-of-record representation services for eligible unaccompanied alien children” during immigration proceedings and hearings before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services while the children remain in government custody.

The proposed award comes after legal service providers across the country have said that the administration has withheld $65 million in overdue fees from the previous contract, alleging it is an attempt to force them to turn over confidential information about the migrant children they represent.

Burke Law Group has 26 employees across eight offices, according to its website. None of the firm’s attorneys list immigration law as a practice area. Instead, their practices include administrative law, white-collar defense, commercial litigation, securities litigation and other areas.

ABC News reached out to the law firm for comment and did not immediately get a response.

In December 2023, the Acacia Center for Justice, an immigrant advocacy group, became the prime contract holder with HHS for the Unaccompanied Children Program, overseeing subcontracts with more than 100 service providers that provide legal representation to more than 20,000 unaccompanied migrant children.

A spokesperson with HHS previously told ABC News that its sub-agency, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), “offered Acacia the opportunity” to receive a new federal contract “based on requirements that include they provide the data on who they represent and that they bill [HHS] when they submit applications for immigration relief.” The HHS spokesperson said Acacia refused.

Legal services providers including Acacia have said that ORR was demanding “client-level data that is confidential and legally privileged.”

During the Trump administration, Acacia and many of its subcontracted groups have alleged that unaccompanied children and their sponsors are among those being targeted under the administration’s immigration crackdown.

In June, DHS agents visited the offices of several Washington-area nonprofit organizations that provide legal services to unaccompanied migrant children. Last year, ABC News reported that the administration was directing immigration agents to track down unaccompanied migrant children in the United States.

‘Massive’ Russian strikes kill 17 in Kyiv, Zelenskyy says, as no missiles intercepted

August 5, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that at least 17 people were killed in Kyiv and the surrounding region in a massive overnight Russian missile and drone strike, with Ukraine’s air force failing to intercept any missiles amid a shortage of air defense munitions.

Ukraine’s air force said in a post to Telegram that Russia launched 115 drones and 28 missiles — 24 ballistic missiles and four anti-ship missiles — into the country overnight, of which 98 drones were intercepted.

None of the missiles were shot down, the air force said citing “preliminary data,” reporting missile and drone impacts across 26 locations.

Zelenskyy said in a post to Telegram that the “massive” and “devastating” attack killed at least 17 people. At least another 44 people were injured in the attack, Zelenskyy added.

“The main targets of the attack were storage facilities belonging to civilian enterprises, but there were also strikes on infrastructure and a railway station,” Zelenskyy said. “The targets included entities unrelated to the war: a brewery, warehouses for building materials and civilian logistics facilities.”

“Ballistic missile interceptors — these are what could have saved the lives of those who died today,” Zelenskyy wrote. “It is crucial that our partners understand that delays in their supply or a reluctance to provide anti-ballistic systems leads to precisely these horrific casualties and destruction.”

“A significant portion of Russian ballistic missile production is not currently under sanctions. This needs to change. New steps are needed from the G7, from the EU, from everyone who supports the protection of life,” Zelenskyy wrote.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement posted to Telegram that its “massive strike” targeted what it said were “transport, logistics and distribution centers in the city of Kyiv and the Kyiv region.”

The ministry said that storage and distribution facilities for drone components and electronic warfare systems were among the targets struck, as were three cargo ships.

The ministry also said that Russian forces shot down at least 475 Ukrainian drones overnight into Wednesday morning.

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