The southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa was the target of Russian missile attacks on Saturday evening. A residential building and a grain warehouse were hit, Ukrainian media reported this morning. According to local authorities, four people were injured. The Russian military had fired Oniks-type missiles, typically used against maritime targets, from launch sites in the occupied Crimean Peninsula.
The Ukrainian military, on the other hand, says it continues to attack Russian forces on two key front sections in the east and south of the country. South of the eastern city of Bakhmut, there was “partial success” in the village of Andriyivka, the General Staff in Kiev said in its situation report on Saturday morning.
Ukraine retakes the railway
While Bakhmut itself is in Russian hands, the Ukrainians have retaken a strategically important railway line south of it in recent weeks. They are now expanding their positions on the other side of the track.
On the southern front in the Zaporizhia region, there were also “partial successes” north of the villages of Kopani and Novoprokopivka, it was said. In this region, Ukrainian troops have been fighting their way through heavily fortified Russian defense lines with minefields, anti-tank barriers and trenches for weeks. The fighting at Kopani and Novoprokopivka indicates that the Ukrainians are increasing their point of penetration into Russian defenses.
The military information is often not independently verifiable. However, the Institute for War Studies ISW in the US also mentioned this Ukrainian progress in its new report. At the same time, the ISW wrote that the Russian army had managed to exchange troops on this part of the front despite Ukrainian pressure.
According to Ukrainian information, attacks by Russian ground forces were concentrated on the Kupyansk and Lyman front sectors in the east, as well as on Avdiivka and Mariinka near Donetsk. But they were repelled, it was said. Along the nearly 1,000 kilometer long front, 120 Ukrainian towns were shelled by Russian artillery on Friday.
Prepare for winter attacks
The Russian military said it shot down an incoming Ukrainian drone near Moscow on Saturday morning. The plane was intercepted over the city of Istra, which borders the Russian capital to the west. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin also confirmed the shooting. There was no damage to the ground from the falling debris. As in previous weeks, the drone disrupted air traffic at Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo airports in Moscow. There was a temporary standstill there and individual flights were cancelled.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, called for a rapid strengthening of Ukraine’s energy system before the winter in view of expected new Russian attacks. “It is very important to win this winter, overcome all difficulties and provide protection to our people,” Zelensky said in his daily video address on Friday.
Last fall and winter, Russia launched a massive attack on the neighboring country’s energy infrastructure, plunging many Ukrainians into cold and darkness for months. The Russian leadership always repeats its mistakes and evils. “And if they fail at something, they think they probably haven’t done enough harm to succeed,” Zelenskiy said. He was therefore convinced that Russia would bomb the energy system even more this winter than last year.
According to the Ukrainian president, the country is better prepared for such attacks this time – partly thanks to the West’s anti-aircraft defenses.
Zelensky also recalled recent Russian rocket attacks in the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv, which wounded and killed dozens of civilians. The devastating attacks on the village of Hrosa and the city of Kharkov itself caused international horror. On Friday evening, authorities in the city of Kharkiv reported that rescue and search efforts had been halted.
After these Russian missile attacks, citizens in Moscow also laid flowers at a memorial for the victims. Almost all yellow and blue flowers – the national colors of Ukraine – were sold out in the area, the independent internet portal Astra quoted an eyewitness on Friday. A video shows flower arrangements at the Lesya Ukrainka monument. However, it is said that the city government continued to clear the flowers.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
