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Five explosions have been heard in the Russian-occupied city of Kherson early today, state media reported, adding that according to unofficial information air defence systems were launched. Meanwhile, Ukraine has claimed its forces have killed 100 Russian troops during fierce fighting in the Kherson region – although it was not immediately clear the two incidents were connected.
The city, the administrative centre of the broader Kherson region, was one of the first cities to fall to Russian forces after they launched their invasion in Ukraine in February.
Earlier on Wednesday, Ivan Fedorov, the exiled mayor of Russian-controlled Melitopol in the south of the Zaporizhzhia region, said on the Telegram messaging app that there was a powerful explosion in the city.
RIA reported, citing local Russia-installed police, that a device exploded near the city’s central market. There were no casualties, RIA reported.
Kyiv officials in Kyiv said Russian missile strikes have inflicted damage on more than 10 cities in Ukraine, including Lviv, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Zaporizhzhia.
A statement issued by the Ukrainian armed forces said: “Over the past 24 hours, the occupiers have again resorted to mass missile strikes – more than 30 cruise missiles, seven air strikes and 25 instances of shelling.”
A tweeted update by the UK Ministry of Defence on Monday said: “Ukrainian offensive operations continue to place pressure on Russian forces both in the north-east and in Kherson Oblast in the south.
“However, Russia continues to give high priority to its own offensive operations in the central Donbas sector, especially near the town of Bakhmut.
READ MORE: Putin detains eight including five Russians over Crimean bridge blast
Prosecutors for International Mobile Justice teams are investigating as possible war crimes the ongoing Russian missile strikes, which have so far killed at least 26 people, an official said today.
Monday’s attacks killed 19 people, wounded more than 100 and knocked out power across the country in Moscow’s biggest aerial offensive since the start of its invasion on February 24.
Another series of strikes yesterday killed seven people in the southeastern town of Zaporizhzhia and left part of the western city of Lviv without power.
War crimes investigators visited sites in the capital and examined damage to civilians and civilian infrastructure, said British attorney Nigel Povoas, lead prosecutor for the International Mobile Justice teams, which is assisting Ukrainian investigations.
Povoas said: “We visited all the sites in Kyiv yesterday.
“Even the claimed widespread attacks on energy and communications infrastructure appear to have minimal impact on military operations and maximum impact on the health, suffering and spread of terror within the civilian population with winter approaching.”
Russia denies targeting civilians in its military operation in Ukraine.
Meanwhie Volodymyr Zelensky said that he expects a positive response today from Western allies in Brussels to his requests for a rapid increase in military aid as the country’s cities faced more Russian missile strikes.
The Ukrainian President has appealed to the leaders of the Group of Seven nations on Tuesday for more air defence capabilities as the G7 vowed to support Kyiv for “as long as it takes”.
A US-led coalition of some 50 countries known as the Ukraine Defence Contact Group will meet in Brussels on Wednesday on the sidelines of a NATO defence ministers meeting.
Speaking last night, Mr Zelensky said: “I am anticipating from our partners progress on matters of anti-aircraft and anti-missile defences and agreements on new supplies of different weapons and ammunition vital for us.”
(More to follow)
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