Ukraine claims it shot down a Russian strategic bomber as Moscow’s missiles kill 8 Ukrainians

By ILLIA NOVIKOV
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s air force is claiming it shot down a Russian strategic bomber. But Moscow officials say the plane crashed Friday in a sparsely populated area due to a malfunction after a combat mission. Neither claim could be independently verified. Meanwhile, officials say Russian missiles struck cities in the central Dnipro region of Ukraine, killing eight people, including a 14-year-old girl and 8-year-old boy, and injuring 28. The Russian attack hit urban areas as well as train infrastructure in the Dnipro region,. Ukraine’s National Railway Operator said that among those killed in the strikes was employee Oksana Storozhenko, the mother of two teenage sons.