The Ukrainian general staff reported further Russian attacks on Saturday, focusing on eastern Ukraine. The situation around the Azov steelworks in the port city of Mariupol remains uncertain.
The runway at Odessa airport was destroyed by a Russian missile attack. The announcement was made by the Ukrainian army on Saturday. The impact of a Russian cruise missile made the runway unusable, he said. Odessa is the last major Black Sea city still controlled by Ukraine. It is close to the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria, where Russian soldiers are stationed.
The army had already reported new Russian attacks focusing on eastern Ukraine. “The struggle 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 overnight. 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 Donbass. The constant attacks on infrastructure and residential areas showed “that Russia wants to make this area uninhabitable”.
Ukraine’s General Staff said there had been attempts by Russian armed forces in several places to advance inland. However, the attacks would be repelled. In the Dnipro region, Russian units fired on targets with rockets and artillery. The Russian armed forces are therefore reorganizing and partially strengthening their troops. In the contested areas of Luhansk and Donetsk in the east, 14 attacks were repulsed. 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 troops. The Russian military had to rally and regroup units exhausted from the failed attacks. “Many of these units are probably suffering from low morale.”
“Deficiencies in tactical coordination persist,” the British military tweeted about the situation in northeastern Ukraine. Due to unit weakness 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 recaptures Ruska Losowa
Russia said it used artillery to strike 389 targets in Ukraine overnight, including 35 checkpoints, 15 weapons or ammunition depots and several places where Ukrainian troops or equipment would be located. The Russian Defense Ministry said four ammunition and fuel depots were hit by Russian missiles.
The Ukrainian military, meanwhile, says it has recaptured the “strategically important” village of Ruska Losova near Kharkiv. According to the Defense Ministry in Kiev, Ukrainian soldiers have brought more than 600 residents to safety.
Furthermore, Ukraine is apparently putting some stings on its overpowering neighbor. Russian air 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,” Governor Alexander Bogomas said. A logistics building at the terminal was damaged.
Ukraine also allegedly attacked Russia’s Kursk region near the border with grenades. On Saturday afternoon, a border crossing in the village of Krupez was attacked with grenades, said the governor of western Russia, Roman Starovoyt. Russian border guards returned fire and stopped the bombing. Nobody was hurt. Starovojt had already declared on Friday that his region had been bombed from Ukrainian territory.
Situation around steel mill Azov is unclear
The situation around the Azov steelworks in the port city of Mariupol remains uncertain. According to Russian information, about 2,500 Ukrainian fighters and foreign mercenaries are said to have hidden in the bunkers of the industrial zone. According to Ukraine, 1,000 civilians in particular are waiting for rescue, including children.
Mediated by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Kiev and Moscow agreed to create a humanitarian corridor for civilians to flee. However, the results take time to arrive. In any case, Russian state television reported that a family of three had left the steelworks. A man who described himself as his father described the escape. This information cannot be verified.
(APA/dpa/Reuters)