KYIV: Ukrainian drones targeted a military airfield and an oil depot in Russia, a defense source in Kyiv said on Saturday, after Moscow reported repelling the latest aerial barrage.
Kyiv has stepped up aerial attacks on Russian territory, saying it carries out the strikes in retaliation for the bombardments Ukraine has faced since Russia invaded more than two years ago.
“Last night, drones from Ukraine’s Security Service visited the Morozovsk airfield in the Rostov region” that stored aircraft and guided aerial bombs, the source said.
“Ukrainian drones did a great job, hitting the aviation ammunition depot,” the source added.
Russia has launched more than 600 guided air bombs on Ukraine in one week alone, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
“Russian combat aircraft must be destroyed where they are, by all means that are effective. Striking at Russian airfields is also quite fair,” he said on social media.
Russian officials did not address claims regarding the destroyed airfield, but local governor Vasily Golubev said on Telegram that authorities introduced a state of emergency in the district of Morozovsk.
“At the moment we have recorded damage to the windows in several social facilities, including schools and kindergartens, as well as in residential houses and industrial premises,” Golubev said on Telegram.
The source in the Ukrainian defense sector also said its forces hit a fuel warehouse in the Kamensky district of the Rostov region, where Russian officials earlier reported a drone attack set fire to oil tanks.
Later the armed forces said they had sunk the B-237 Rostov-on-Don submarine in occupied Crimea the day before, and destroyed air defense systems.
Moscow did not address the specific claim but the Russian defense ministry said it destroyed at least 76 drones launched by Kyiv, including 36 over the border region of Rostov and 17 in the Oryol region.
Russian air defense disabled eight and nine drones respectively over the regions of Kursk and Belgorod, also bordering Ukraine.
Kyiv has stepped up strikes on Russian territory this year, targeting towns and villages just across the border, as well as energy sites that it says fuel Russia’s assault.
On Saturday, Kyiv said it had faced several missiles and 29 drones, out of which 24 drones were destroyed.
Local officials in the central region of Vinnytsia said the attacks damaged infrastructure, without giving more details.
Ukrainian drones hit Russian airfield, oil depot: Kyiv source
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Ukrainian drones hit Russian airfield, oil depot: Kyiv source
- “Last night, drones from Ukraine’s Security Service visited the Morozovsk airfield in the Rostov region” that stored aircraft and guided aerial bombs, the source said
- “Ukrainian drones did a great job, hitting the aviation ammunition depot”
94 million need cataract surgery, but access lacking: WHO
- Of the 94 million affected, fewer than 20 percent are blind, while the rest suffer from impaired vision
GENEVA: More than 94 million people suffer from cataracts, but half of them do not have access to the surgery needed to fix it, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.
Cataracts — the clouding of the eye’s lens that causes blurred vision and can lead to blindness — are on the rise as populations get older, with age being the main risk factor.
“Cataract surgery — a simple, 15-minute procedure — is one of the most cost-effective medical procedures, providing immediate and lasting restoration of sight,” the WHO said.
It is one of the most frequently performed surgeries undertaken in high-income countries.
However, “half of the world’s population in need of cataract surgery don’t have access to it,” said Stuart Keel, the UN health agency’s technical lead for eye care.
The situation is worst in the WHO’s Africa region, where three in four people needing cataract surgery remain untreated.
In Kenya, at the current rate, 77 percent of people needing cataract surgery are likely to die with their cataract blindness or vision impairment, said Keel.
Across all regions, women consistently experience lower access to care than men.
Of the 94 million affected, fewer than 20 percent are blind, while the rest suffer from impaired vision.
- 2030 vision -
The WHO said that over the past two decades, global cataract surgery coverage had increased by 15 percent.
In 2021, WHO member states set a target of a 30-percent increase by 2030.
However, current modelling predicts that cataract surgery coverage will rise by only about 8.4 percent this decade.
To close the gap, the WHO urged countries to integrate eye examinations into primary health care and invest in the required surgical equipment.
States should also expand the eye-care workforce, training surgeons in a standardised manner and then distributing them throughout the country, notably outside major cities.
The WHO was on Wednesday launching new guidance for countries on how to provide quality cataract surgery services.
It will also issue guidance to help support workforce development.
Keel said the main issue was capacity and financing.
“We do need money invested to get rid of this backlog, which is nearly 100 million people,” he told a press conference.
While age is the primary risk factor for cataracts, others include prolonged UV-B light exposure, tobacco use, prolonged corticosteroid use and diabetes.
Keel urged people to keep up regular eye checks as they get older, with most problems able to be either prevented or diagnosed and treated.
The cost of the new lens that goes inside the eye can be under $100.
However, out-of-pocket costs can be higher when not covered by health insurance.
“Cataract surgery is one of the most powerful tools we have to restore vision and transform lives,” said Devora Kestel, head of the WHO’s noncommunicable diseases and mental health department.
“When people regain their sight, they regain independence, dignity, and opportunity.”
