Ukraine announced on Tuesday that it bombed Russian forces in the occupied Kherson region in the south of the country at night.but the occupation authorities installed by Moscow accused kyiv of having reached homes.
(It might interest you: Russia confirms seven dead in Ukrainian bombing in the Kherson region)
The Kherson region, bordering the Crimean peninsula annexed by Moscow
as of 2014, it is largely occupied by Russian forces, who invaded Ukraine on February 24.
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The Ukrainian army has launched a counteroffensive on that front for several weekswhile the bulk of the Russian troops are deployed in Donbas, in the east.
Ukrainian military officials for the south of the country indicated that the missiles and artillery fire killed 52 Russian soldiers, and destroyed artillery, armored vehicles “and an ammunition depot in Nova Kajovka”, some 70 kilometers from the city of Kherson, which has with 290,000 inhabitants.
For his part, the head of the civil-military administration installed by the Russians
in Kherson, Vladimir Leontiev, denounced an “act of terrorism” and “a terrible tragedy”. “There are no military targets here,” he assured.
“There are seven dead and about 60 wounded,” he said. The number of victims “is going to increase because the magnitude of the damage is enormous,” Leontiev added. “Dozens of homes were hit…people are being pulled out of the rubble,” he said.
“It is clear that this is a deliberate, violent and cynical attack with high-precision missiles, there are no military targets here … warehouses, shops, a pharmacy, gas stations and even a church have been attacked,” he said.
A deputy leader of the Kherson occupation administration, Ekaterina Gubareva, also reported seven dead and accused the Ukrainian forces of having bombed with the American HIMARS multiple missile launcher.
At the moment, it was not possible to verify these claims with independent sources.
Ball of fire
In a video released by the Russian media, a huge fireball can be seen in the sky at night, a thick column of white smoke and powerful detonations can be heard.
Other images taken in the morning and released by the occupation authorities show several buildings destroyed.
In the east of the country, where Russian bombing continues, Ukraine is preparing for a new Russian offensive in the Donetsk region, in the Donbas mining basin, partially controlled since 2014 by Moscow-backed separatists.
“There are indications that enemy units are preparing to intensify
combat operations in the direction of Kramatorsk and Bakhmut,” warned the Ukrainian General Staff.
kyiv sees Kramatorsk, the administrative center of Donbas still under Ukrainian control, and its neighbor Sloviansk as the next targets of the Russians in their plan to conquer all of Donbas.
Russian authorities will open the embassy of the breakaway Donetsk region in Moscow on Tuesday, in the presence of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
On Monday, Russia announced that it will facilitate access to Russian nationality for all Ukrainians, a measure that until now applied only to the Ukrainian territories it occupies.
🔴#Last minute A Ukrainian bombardment leaves seven dead and at least 70 wounded in the Russian city of Nova Kakhovka in the occupied Kherson region
Images on social networks show a huge ball of fire that explodes over a weapons depothttps://t.co/iCKbho6raA
– The Vanguard (@LaVanguardia) July 12, 2022
34 dead in Chasiv Yar
The number of victims of the alleged Russian shelling of a residential building in Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk region on Sunday continued to rise as rescue efforts continued.
Local authorities reported at least 34 deaths.
In Kharkov (northeast), six civilians were killed on Monday in a Russian bombardment, according to Governor Oleg Synegubov.
Faced with problems maintaining its weapons, Russia would receive “hundreds of drones” from Iran that it could start using very soon, said Jake Sullivan, White House national security adviser.
Drones have played an important role since the beginning of the war for reconnaissance, missile or bomb launch operations.
The Kremlin announced Tuesday that Vladimir Putin will meet with the presidents of Iran and Turkey in Tehran on July 19 for a summit to discuss the Syrian conflict and bilateral discussions.
EU aid package
Meanwhile, Europe entered a period of uncertainty over Russian gas supplies.
Russian giant Gazprom on Monday began maintenance work on the Nord Stream I gas pipeline, which carries much of the gas it still supplies to Germany and other Western European countries.
Russia, arguing a technical problem, has already cut gas deliveries through Nord Stream by 60% in recent weeks, a decision denounced as “political” by Berlin.
Despite its dependence on Russian gas and this complex situation, the European Union adopted on Tuesday a macro-financial aid package for Ukraine for one billion euros to cover its “urgent needs and guarantee the functioning of critical infrastructure.”
These macro-financial aid packages (known as MFAs) are an EU mechanism to help neighboring countries facing serious balance of payment problems.
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
*With information from AFP
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