Russian FPV drone kills three civilians, including elderly mother and son, in Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region
Oleksandr Hanzha, Head of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration, reported that Russian forces have struck civilians moving along a road in Nikopol, the Dnipropetrovsk region, killing three people.
“Three people have been killed in a Russian attack on Nikopol. The enemy used an FPV drone to hit people who were walking along the road,” he stated.
According to Hanzha, those killed are an 87-year-old mother and her 51-year-old son. “Law enforcement officers are currently establishing the identity of the third victim,” the administration reported.
Hanzha also released a photo of a burnt wheelchair.
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In the morning, the official reported that Russian forces had attacked two districts in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast more than 10 times with drones and artillery the previous day. A 39-year-old man was injured in the strikes.
In the Nikopol District, strikes hit the city of Nikopol and the hromadas of Chervonohryhorivka, Marhanets, and Pokrovsk. The attacks damaged the infrastructure and a car. The injured man did not require hospitalisation and is receiving outpatient treatment.
In the Synelnykove District, Russian forces attacked the Shakhtarske “hromada,” a local government area that includes one or more nearby settlements. The strikes damaged an apartment building and several cars.
To provide, seven people were injured in a Russian attack on Dnipro on 14 June. Three men were hospitalised, and doctors listed their condition as moderate.
The Economic Security Council of Ukraine (ESCU) reported that the European Union has imposed sanctions on the Chinese firm Xinxiang Richful Lubricant Additive Co., one of the largest suppliers of fuel additives to the Russian military-industrial complex.
According to the study by ESCU, these Chinese activities improve the performance properties of aviation fuel and reduce engine wear in Su-34 and Su-35S military aircraft. Russia independently produces only antioxidant additives, while it imports antistatic and anti-wear additives from India and China.
Xinxiang Richful Lubricant Additive Co. is the largest supplier of mineral-based additives to Russia. According to the ESCU, in 2023 alone, the Kremlin purchased goods from Xinxiang Richful worth more than $150 million – 33% of the company’s total annual sales.
Over the last four years, China has become a critically important partner for the Russian Federation. While Beijing officially declares its neutrality, Western intelligence and analytical studies indicate otherwise. For instance, China does not supply weapons directly to Russia, but it provides critically important components, including machinery, microelectronics, specialized chemicals, optics, gunpowder, and ammunition components.
Donald Trump announced several days ago that the United States would lower tariffs on Indian goods in exchange for India halting its imports of Russian oil.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked Trump but did not explicitly confirm the deal or disclose further details.
According to energy data firm Kpler, purchases have declined in recent months but still averaged approximately 1.2 million barrels per day in January.
Meanwhile, the Center for Strategic and International Studies found that in 2024 China increased sales of ammonium perchlorate — a key ingredient used to produce solid propellant for Iskander missiles. This assistance enabled Russia to triple its ballistic missile production, the report stated. Beijing’s support has bolstered Russia’s defense industrial base, enabling Russian forces to launch salvos of 13 to 18 Iskander-M ballistic missiles in 2026.
Overall imports from China have grown to represent one-third of Russia’s total imports, while Russian oil exports now account for 75% of all oil purchased by Beijing. Analysts specifically highlighted defense-related imports, which provided the Russian military-industrial complex with machine tools, components, and raw materials for weapons manufacturing.
Furthermore, Russia’s defense industry also received computer chips, machine tools, radars, and sensors from China, according to CSIS. These goods are part of a list of 50 items aiding weapons production, effectively compensating for Russia’s limited manufacturing capacity in its defense sector. Other areas of support include the supply of drone hulls, lithium batteries, and fiber-optic cables. CSIS reported that Russian imports from China rose from $190 billion in 2022 to $250 billion in 2024.
In 2024, then-U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that 70% of heavy industrial equipment and 90% of all microelectronics are sourced from China, which then flows into Russia.
Furthermore, according to recent NATO intelligence data, 80% of all Russian drones consist of Chinese parts.
According to The Telegraph newspaper, Chinese firms supplied sanctioned Russian companies with at least £47 million ($57.4 million USD) worth of parts between 2023 and 2024. Almost a quarter of the value of these supplies went to firms that produce Shahed-type drones.
Moreover, the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine stated that China is also providing intelligence to Russia. The Kremlin used this data to prepare missile strikes, particularly against objects belonging to foreign investors, though the specific targets were not clarified. China denies these accusations.
Following the imposition of Western sanctions, Beijing has become a key supplier to Russia of cars, clothing, raw materials, and a range of other goods. In 2023, Russia-China trade turnover set a historic record, exceeding $240 billion, which is more than 60% higher than before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to Chinese customs data.
Reuters also reported that China is buying oil and gas from Russia. The average daily volume of oil is more than two million barrels per day. During Vladimir Putin’s visit to Beijing, the countries signed a document for the supply of 106 billion cubic meters of gas per year to China.
Reuters also reported that tens of thousands of cars are being exported from China to Russia under gray-market schemes that often circumvent Western and Asian government sanctions and automakers’ commitments to exit the Russian market, according to registration data reviewed by Reuters and interviews with five people involved in the trade.
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