The Ukrainian general staff reported new Russian attacks on Saturday, with a focus on eastern Ukraine. The situation around the Azov steelworks in the port city of Mariupol remains unclear.
The runway at Odessa airport has been destroyed by a Russian missile attack. This was announced by the Ukrainian army on Saturday. The impact of a Russian cruise missile rendered the runway unusable, it said. Odessa is the last major Black Sea city still controlled by Ukraine. It is near the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria, where Russian soldiers are stationed.
The army had previously reported new Russian attacks with a focus on eastern Ukraine. “The fighting continues,” but there are no successes for Russia, they say. In the vicinity of the city of Izyum in the Kharkiv region, Russia continues to gather troops for the attack. The city of Kharkiv itself was also attacked during the night. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke of his army’s “tactical successes” in the region.
“The situation in the Kharkiv region is difficult,” Zelensky said in a televised speech. “But our military and intelligence have made important tactical gains.” Zelensky accused the Russian army of wanting to “destroy all life” during its offensive in the Donbass. The constant attacks on the infrastructure and on residential areas showed “that Russia wants to make this area uninhabitable”.
The General Staff of Ukraine said there were attempts by the Russian armed forces in several places to advance inland. However, the attacks would be fended off. In the Dnipro region, Russian units fired at targets with rockets and artillery. The Russian armed forces are therefore partly reorganizing and strengthening their troops. In the contested areas of Luhansk and Donetsk in the east, 14 attacks were repelled. Ukrainian forces destroyed 11 tanks, 9 drones and 7 artillery systems.
GB: Russian troops need to regroup
According to reports from the British military, the Russians are forced to regroup the troops. The Russian military had to pool and regroup exhausted units from the failed raids. “Many of these units are probably suffering from low morale.”
“The deficiencies in tactical coordination persist,” the British military tweeted regarding the situation in north-eastern Ukraine. Due to the weakness of the units and insufficient air support, Russia cannot fully exploit its combat capabilities. Russia hopes to remedy its difficulties with the invasion by geographically concentrating troops, shortening supply routes and simplifying leadership.
Russia reports 389 attacks, Ukraine recapture of Ruska Losowa
Russia said it used artillery to attack 389 targets in Ukraine overnight, including 35 checkpoints, 15 weapons or ammunition depots and several locations where Ukrainian troops or equipment would have been located. The Russian Defense Ministry said four ammunition and fuel depots were hit by Russian missiles.
The Ukrainian armed forces, for their part, say they recaptured the “strategically important” village of Ruska Losova near Kharkiv. According to the Ministry of Defense in Kyiv, the Ukrainian soldiers brought more than 600 residents to safety.
In addition, Ukraine is apparently putting a few pinpricks once morest its overpowering neighbor. Russian anti-aircraft defenses are said to have prevented a Ukrainian plane from entering the airspace of the Bryansk region. Russian media reported that parts of an oil terminal were hit by shelling. “There are no casualties,” said Governor Alexander Bogomas. A logistics building at the terminal was damaged.
The Ukraine is also said to have attacked the Russian region of Kursk near the border with grenades. On Saturday followingnoon, a border crossing in the village of Krupez was attacked with grenades, said the governor of the western Russian region, Roman Starovoyt. Russian border guards returned fire and stopped the shelling. Nobody was injured. Starovojt had already declared on Friday that his region had been shelled from Ukrainian territory.
Situation around Azov steelworks unclear
The situation around the Azov steelworks in the port city of Mariupol remains unclear. According to Russian information, around 2,500 Ukrainian fighters and foreign mercenaries are said to have holed up in the bunkers of the industrial zone. According to Ukraine, 1,000 civilians in particular are waiting there for rescue, including children.
Mediated by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Kyiv and Moscow had agreed to set up a humanitarian corridor for civilians to flee. However, results are a long time coming. In any case, Russian state television reported that a family of three had left the steelworks. A man who described himself as the father described the escape. This information cannot be verified.
(APA/dpa/Archyde.com)