In Ukraine, uncertainty over Soledar as kyiv suffers new attacks

kyiv registered a series of explosions this Saturday that reached vital infrastructures. No injuries were reported, but the remains of the missiles started a fire and several houses were damaged on the outskirts of the capital, authorities announced.

“Explosions in the (eastern) Dniprovskiy district. All agencies are heading to the scene. Stay in your shelters,” kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram.

The shelling was heard in kyiv even before the air raid siren sounded, something very unusual. According to Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat, the Russian missiles had probably been fired following a high ballistic trajectory, which would explain why the anti-aircraft siren did not sound, since Ukraine is not capable of identifying and shooting down ballistic missiles.

Ukrainian power operator Ukrenergo confirmed that power facilities had been hit, adding that it was working to repair the damage.

DTEK, the largest private electricity company, introduced emergency blackouts in kyiv and the Odessa region.

Multiple Regions Reached

“The enemy has launched a new missile attack against essential infrastructure” in the Kharkiv region, its governor Oleh Synehoubov declared on Saturday morning. The electricity supply is under pressure in the region and emergency power cuts could occur in the city.

In Dnipro, a high-rise was badly damaged with people trapped under the rubble. At least ten people, including two children, were injured, the regional governor reported. People were being rescued this Saturday.

The head of the military administration of the Zaporizhzhia region also reported attacks.

“The enemy has again struck the free lands of our region. Rockets that fell in Zaporizhia on the territory of one of the companies caused damage there. Fortunately, there were no casualties,” Oleksandr Staroukh said on Telegram on Saturday.

Kharkiv Governor Oleg Sinehoubov announced that the region had been hit by two S-300E missiles that hit energy and industrial facilities.

Finally, authorities in the western city of Lviv and the Black Sea port of Odessa also announced that air defenses were trying to shoot down missiles in flight.

Battle for Soledar

The small town of Soledar in eastern Ukraine and Bakhmut are now the hottest spots on the front line. Russia said on Friday that its forces had taken control of Soledar, marking the first Russian success in months.

“The capture of Soledar was possible thanks to the constant bombardment of the enemy by the assault aircraft and the Army, the missile forces and the artillery of a grouping of Russian forces,” the Moscow Defense Ministry said.

However, Serhiy Cherevatyi, a spokesman for Ukraine’s eastern military command, said Soledar had not been captured: “Our units are there, the city is not under Russian control.”

In a video address Friday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also said fighting was continuing across the city.

“The difficult battle for the Donetsk region continues. The battle for Bakhmut and Soledar, for Kreminna, for other cities and towns in the east of our country continues,” he said.

02:04

The capture of the city would be a strategic victory for Moscow as it would cut the Ukrainian supply routes to Bakhmut, located a few kilometers to the west, and open the way to this city, as well as Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the main Ukrainian strongholds in the Donbass.

“The situation in Soledar is almost critical: the city is semi-closed. There is only one road left to supply our troops,” said Oleh Zhdanov, a military analyst in kyiv.

kyiv is stalling for time and is fighting a fierce battle to defend the city to stop the Russian offensive in the region while more military aid arrives.

UK to supply more tanks

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak indicated on Saturday that Britain would send some of its main battle tanks to Ukraine along with additional artillery support.

During a phone call with Zelensky, Sunak “outlined Britain’s ambition to step up” “support for Ukraine, including by supplying Challenger 2 main battle tanks and additional artillery systems.”

“The leaders reflected on the current state of Russia’s war in Ukraine, with successive Ukrainian victories pushing back Russian troops and exacerbating their military and morale problems,” a British ministry spokesman said.

The Russian embassy in London criticized the decision, saying it would lead to more casualties, including civilians, and was evidence of “London’s increasingly obvious involvement in the conflict.”

“As for the Challenger 2 tanks, they are unlikely to help the Ukrainian Armed Forces turn the tables on the battlefield, but they will become a great legitimate target for Russian artillery,” the embassy stated.

Germany, France and the United States also indicated last week that they would provide armored vehicles to Ukraine.

With AFP and Reuters