Ukraine mourns dead from major Russian strike, vows response with underground weapons production

POLTAVA, Ukraine (AP) — Funeral services were held Saturday for victims of one of the deadliest Russian airstrikes since the war in Ukraine began, as Ukraine’s president vowed to increase domestic military production by creating underground weapons factories.

The funerals took place in the eastern Ukrainian city of Poltava for the victims of a Russian missile attack on a military training facility that left over 50 dead and more than 300 injured.

Hundreds of mourners, including grieving families, local residents, and officials, gathered at the Cathedral of the Assumption in the city, some 350 kilometers (200 miles) southeast of Kyiv, for the solemn ceremony. Sobbing relatives, many holding red carnations, stood over caskets placed outside the church, draped in yellow-and-blue Ukrainian flags. An air raid siren sounded during the service.

Residents knelt in silent tribute as hearses carrying the victims passed by on their way to a military cemetery outside the city for burial.

Russia has intensified missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, targeting energy infrastructure across the country and causing deadly strikes in residential areas.

The attacks have underscored Moscow’s long-range capabilities as Ukraine braces for what will likely be another difficult winter as Russia continues to smash Ukraine’s power grid, knocking out some 70% of generation capacity and rupturing heat and water supplies.

The sound of explosions thundered over the Ukrainian capital overnight as multiple Russian attack drones were intercepted by the city’s air defenses. No injuries or serious damage were reported.

The Ukrainian Air Force said that 67 drones were launched over the country overnight, with air defenses active in 11 regions. Fifty-eight drones were shot down, with three more destroyed by electronic weapons systems, it said.

Debris from one drone was photographed on the street outside Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada. Ukraine’s parliamentary press service confirmed that drone fragments had been found but said there were no casualties and no damage to the parliament building.

Elsewhere, a Russian artillery attack Saturday on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka killed four men and injured three other people, said Donetsk region Gov. Vadym Filashkin. He said the attack damaged a high-rise building and local power lines.

Late Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the death toll from the Sept. 3 strike at the Military Institute of Communications in Poltava had risen to 55, with 328 people injured.

“That includes people with severe injuries, such as amputations and internal organ damage,” Zelenskyy said, speaking at a conference outside the Italian city of Milan.

“Our people are under constant threat of Russian missile and drone strikes — every night and every day.”

Zelenskyy renewed his call for the removal of restrictions on using Western-supplied weapons to strike Russian territory, adding that Ukraine was ramping up its own weapons production.

“We are setting up underground weapons production facilities so Ukrainian soldiers can defend themselves, even if supplies from our partners are delayed,” he said.

“We have developed new drones and missiles, and we are gradually bringing this war back to Russia. Eventually, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will feel the pressure to seek only one thing: peace.”

Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also made a statement Saturday warning Iran against sending arms to Russia. It warned Tehran that if the reports were confirmed, it would have “devastating consequences” for Ukrainian-Iranian bilateral relations.

It followed reports in the Wall Street Journal that Tehran had recently transferred short-range missiles that would be used in the invasion of Ukraine, citing two unnamed sources.

Kyiv has continued to launch its own strikes against Russia. In the Russian border region of Voronezh Saturday, Gov. Aleksandr Gusev said that a drone strike had sparked a fire and the detonation of “explosive objects.”

Writing on social media, he said that a state of emergency had been declared for the region’s Ostrogozhsky district and that several villages had been evacuated.

Davies reported from Manchester, England. Evgeniy Maloletka and Alex Babenko in Poltava, Ukraine, and Derek Gatopoulos in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives to attend The European House Ambrosetti (TEHA) economic forum in Cernobbio, Como Lake, Italy, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives to attend The European House Ambrosetti (TEHA) economic forum in Cernobbio, Como Lake, Italy, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Relatives and friends mourn over the coffins of six Ukrainian servicemen killed in a Russian rocket attack at a Ukrainian military academy, during their funeral ceremony in Poltava, Ukraine, Saturday Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Relatives cry near the coffin of a Ukrainian serviceman killed in a Russian rocket attack at a Ukrainian military academy, during the funeral ceremony in Poltava, Ukraine, Saturday Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Ukrainian servicemen kneel during the funeral ceremony of six of their comrades who were killed in a Russian rocket attack at a Ukrainian military academy, in Poltava, Ukraine, Saturday Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People kneel during the funeral ceremony of six Ukrainian servicemen killed in a Russian rocket attack at a Ukrainian military academy, in Poltava, Ukraine, Saturday Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People kneel during the funeral ceremony of six Ukrainian servicemen killed in a Russian rocket attack at a Ukrainian military academy, in Poltava, Ukraine, Saturday Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Relatives and friends mourn near the coffins of six Ukrainian servicemen killed in a Russian rocket attack at a Ukrainian military academy, during their funeral ceremony in Poltava, Ukraine, Saturday Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Funeral workers down a coffin into a grave during the funeral ceremony of six Ukrainian servicemen killed in a Russian rocket attack at a Ukrainian military academy, during their funeral ceremony in Poltava, Ukraine, Saturday Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A mother cries near the coffin of her son killed in a Russian rocket attack at a Ukrainian military academy, during his funeral ceremony in Poltava, Ukraine, Saturday Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Ukrainian servicemen carry the coffin of their comrade Serhiy Dondiuk, killed in a Russian rocket attack at a Ukrainian military academy, during the funeral ceremony in Poltava, Ukraine, Saturday Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A mother cries near the coffin of her son killed in a Russian rocket attack at a Ukrainian military academy, during his funeral ceremony in Poltava, Ukraine, Saturday Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Relatives and friends react during the funeral ceremony of Ukrainian servicemen killed in a Russian rocket attack at a Ukrainian military academy, in Poltava, Ukraine, Saturday Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People throw three handfuls of soil into a grave during the funeral ceremony of six Ukrainian servicemen killed in a Russian rocket attack at a Ukrainian military academy, during their funeral ceremony in Poltava, Ukraine, Saturday Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A mother cries near the coffin of her son killed by a Russian rocket attack at a Ukrainian military academy, during his funeral ceremony in Poltava, Ukraine, Saturday Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Honor guards shoot into the air during the funeral ceremony of six Ukrainian servicemen killed in a Russian rocket attack at a Ukrainian military academy, during their funeral ceremony in Poltava, Ukraine, Saturday Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, leaves after meeting with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni at the Ambrosetti Forum in Cernobbio, northern Italy, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy leaves after meeting Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni at the Ambrosetti Forum in Cernobbio, northern Italy, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Ukrainian air defense intercepts a Shahed drone mid-air during a Russia aerial attack on the capital in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Ukrainian air defense intercepts a Shahed drone mid-air during a Russia aerial attack on the capital in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

The FBI said former President Donald Trump was the target of “what appears to be an attempted assassination ” at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, just nine weeks after the Republican presidential nominee survived another attempt on his life.

Trump was shot during an assassination attempt at a July rally in Pennsylvania, and a bullet grazed his ear.

U.S. Secret Service agents opened fire on Sunday after seeing a person with a firearm near Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club in Florida while he was golfing. No injuries were reported. Officials say the person fled in an SUV and was later apprehended by local law enforcement.

He was identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, three law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.

Here is the Latest:

House Speaker Mike Johnson said the House will be demanding more Secret Service protection for Trump, saying he needs more attention than any other protectee.

“He’s the most attacked. He’s the most threatened, even probably more than when he was in the Oval Office,” Johnson, R-La., said on “Fox & Friends.” “We are demanding in the House that he have every asset available.”

The Republican speaker was on his way to visit Trump on Sunday when the former president was targeted while golfing. The suspect is now in custody.

Johnson and his wife, Kelly, visited with Trump afterward for about three hours, and the speaker said he was in “good spirits.”

The House’s bipartisan task force on the July assassination attempt on Trump in Pennsylvania is monitoring the situation and has requested a briefing. Johnson said the panel was scheduled to hold a hearing later this month as it investigates the political violence.

“There’s going to be reports and recommendations coming forward, and Congress will act swiftly,” Johnson said. “We need accountability.”

Johnson said he has “no faith” in Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The House impeached Mayorkas earlier this year over the department’s handling of immigration, but the Senate declined to consider the charges in a trial.

Ryan Wesley Routh briefly entered a Florida courtroom Monday morning for his initial appearance, wearing a dark blue jail jumpsuit and his arms and legs shackled. He sat quietly for about five minutes with no visible signs of nervousness before marshals led him back out to await his hearing.

The Associated Press filmed Ryan Wesley Routh in April 2022 at a demonstration in Kyiv’s Independence Square two months after Russia invaded Ukraine.

A placard he was holding said: “We cannot tolerate corruption and evil for another 50+ years. End Russia for our kids.” He wore a blue vest with the American flag on the back, along with a scarf and T-shirt in the colors of his national flag, while participating in a small rally.

Other participants held posters drawing attention to Mariupol, which was under siege at the time and is now occupied by Russia. That same day, Routh also paid tribute to foreign citizens killed during the war near a makeshift memorial sign reading “Foreigners killed by Putin.”

Ryan Wesley Routh has never served in the Ukrainian army nor collaborated with the military in any capacity, according to Oleksandr Shahuri, a representative officer of the Foreigners Coordination Department of the Ukrainian Ground Forces Command.

Over the past two-and-a-half years, Routh has periodically contacted the international legion with what Shahuri described as “nonsensical ideas.” His plans and ideas can best be described as delusional.”

Shahuri, speaking to The Associated Press, firmly denied any connection to Routh. The International Legion of Ukraine was created shortly after the outbreak of the war by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It consists of foreign citizens “wishing to join the resistance against the Russian occupants and fight for global security,” according to Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry.

Zelenskyy released a statement on X regarding the apparent assassination attempt: “I am glad to hear that Donald Trump is safe and unharmed. My best wishes to him and his family. It’s good that the suspect in the assassination attempt was apprehended quickly. This is our principle: the rule of law is paramount and political violence has no place anywhere in the world. We sincerely hope that everyone remains safe.”

Trump campaign leaders are crediting the Secret Service with keeping the former president safe following an apparent assassination attempt in Florida.

In an email sent to staff Sunday evening, senior campaign advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles wrote, “Today, for the second time in two months, an evil monster attempted to take the life of President Trump.”

“Thankfully, no one was injured at the Golf Course. President Trump and everyone accompanying him are safe thanks to the great work of the United States Secret Service,” they wrote.

They added that campaign staffers’ safety is “always our top priority” and asked those receiving the email to “remain vigilant” and “observant and maintain a constant level of situational awareness."

The leaders of a bipartisan task force in Congress that has been investigating the assassination attempt on Trump at a Pennsylvania rally in July said it is monitoring the Florida situation and has requested a briefing by the Secret Service.

“We are thankful that the former President was not harmed, but remain deeply concerned about political violence and condemn it in all of its forms,” said Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa. and Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo. “The Task Force will share updates as we learn more.”

It was not immediately clear whether the incident would affect Trump's campaign schedule.

On Monday night, he was set to speak from Florida about cryptocurrency live on the social media site X for the launch of his sons’ crypto platform. Trump planned a town hall Tuesday in Flint, Michigan, with his former press secretary, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, followed by a rally Wednesday on New York’s Long Island.

Trump had returned to Florida this weekend from a West Coast swing that included a Friday night rally in Las Vegas and a Utah fundraiser. His campaign had not advised about any public plans for Trump on Sunday. He often spends the morning playing golf, before having lunch at the club, one of three he owns in the state.

The man who authorities say pointed a rifle with a scope into former President Donald Trump’s golf club and was arrested is Ryan Wesley Routh, three law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.

The officials identified the suspect to the AP but spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.

Secret Service agents shot at the suspect, who was taken into custody after fleeing the scene of what the FBI is calling an apparent attempted assassination of the Republican presidential nominee. Authorities are working to determine a motive.

— By Associated Press reporters Colleen Long, Eric Tucker, Alanna Durkin Richer, Mike Balsamo and Michael R. Sisak

Police officers direct traffic near Trump International Golf Club after the apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump in West Palm Beach, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump waves as he boards a plane at Harry Reid International Airport after a campaign trip, Saturday, Sept.14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

FILE - Security agents talk at the entrance to former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, March 31, 2023, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

A police officer directs traffic near Trump International Golf Club after the apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump in West Palm Beach, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

Sheriff vehicles are pictured near Trump International Golf Club, Sunday. Sept. 15, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla., after gunshots were reported in the vicinity of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Stephany Matat)

This photo provided by the Martin County Sheriff's Office shows Sheriff's vehicles surrounding an SUV on the northbound I-95 in Martin County on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP)

This photo provided by the Martin County Sheriff's Office shows Sheriff's vehicles surrounding an SUV on the northbound I-95 in Martin County on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP)

FILE - The motorcade for President Donald Trump arrives at Trump International Golf Club, Feb. 15, 2020, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Photos that show an AK-47 rifle, a backpack and a Go-Pro camera on a fence outside Trump International Golf Club taken after an apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, are displayed during a news conference at the Palm Beach County Main Library, Sunday. Sept. 15, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Stephany Matat)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at Harry Reid International Airport to board a plane after a campaign trip, Saturday, Sept.14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Ryan Wesley Routh pays tribute to foreign citizens killed during Russia-Ukraine war in a central square in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, April 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Ryan Wesley Routh takes part in a rally in central Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, April 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)