Russia attacks Ukrainian capital Kyiv for 1st time in weeks
Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital within the early hours of Sunday morning, placing at the very least two residential buildings, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated, as elsewhere Russian troops consolidated their positive aspects within the east.
Related Press journalists in Kyiv noticed rescue companies battling flames and rescuing civilians. Klitschko stated two folks have been hospitalized with accidents.
Ukraine member of parliament Oleksiy Goncharenko wrote on the Telegram messaging app that “in accordance with prelim information 14 missiles have been launched towards Kyiv area and Kyiv.”
Town’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, stated one of many missile strikes had partially destroyed a nine-storey condo constructing and triggered a hearth. Resuers have been making an attempt to get folks from underneath the rubble, he stated. The commander of Ukraine’s nationwide police pressure, Ihor Klymenko, stated on nationwide tv that 5 folks had been wounded within the strike.
Earlier than Sunday’s early morning assault, Kyiv had not confronted any such Russian airstrikes since June 5.
Explosions have been additionally heard on Sunday within the central metropolis of Cherkasy, which has been largely untouched by bombardment to date, regional governor Oleksandr Skichko stated on Telegram.
Bombers deployed from Belarus
In the meantime, Russian forces have been searching for to swallow up the final remaining Ukrainian stronghold within the jap Luhansk area of the Donbas, urgent their momentum after taking full management Saturday of the charred ruins of Severodonetsk and the chemical plant the place tons of of Ukrainian troops and civilians had been holed up.
On Saturday, Russia additionally launched dozens of missiles on a number of areas throughout the nation removed from the center of the jap battles. A few of the missiles have been fired from Russian long-range Tu-22 bombers deployed from Belarus for the primary time, Ukraine’s air command stated.
The bombardment preceded a gathering between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, throughout which Putin introduced that Russia deliberate to produce Belarus with the Iskander-M missile system.
Russian Defence Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov stated late Saturday that Russian and Moscow-backed separatist forces now management Severodonetsk and the villages surrounding it. He stated the try by Ukrainian forces to show the Azot plant right into a “cussed centre of resistance” had been thwarted.
Serhiy Haidai, the governor of the Luhansk province, stated Friday that Ukrainian troops have been retreating from Severodonetsk after weeks of bombardment and house-to-house preventing. He confirmed Saturday that town had fallen to Russian and separatist fighters, who he stated have been now making an attempt to blockade the neighbouring metropolis of Lysychansk from the south. Town lies throughout the river simply to the west of Severodonetsk.
Russia’s Interfax information company quoted a spokesperson for the separatist forces, Andrei Marochko, as saying Russian troops and separatist fighters had entered Lysychansk and that preventing was happening within the coronary heart of town. There was no rapid touch upon the declare from the Ukrainian aspect.
Lysychansk and Severodonetsk have been the focus of a Russian offensive aimed toward capturing the entire Donbas and destroying the Ukrainian army defending it — probably the most succesful and battle-hardened phase of the nation’s armed forces.
Capturing Lysychansk would give Russian forces management of each main settlement within the province, a big step towards Russia’s purpose of capturing your complete Donbas. The Russians and separatists management about half of Donetsk, the second province within the Donbas.
