Photo: Oleksandr Gimanov Agence France-Presse Ukrainians observe charred trucks in the wake of Russian strikes, Monday, in Odessa.
Victoria Lukovenko – Agence France-Presse in kyiv
Published at 7:10 a.m. Updated at 11:35 a.m.
- Europe
Ukraine suffered new Russian strikes that left at least four dead on the night of Monday to Tuesday, the day after one of the most “massive” attacks since the start of the conflict.
For its part, kyiv claimed new advances in the Russian border region of Kursk and the capture of 594 prisoners since the start of its surprise incursion three weeks ago.
“Crimes against humanity cannot be committed with impunity,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a social media post Tuesday about the airstrikes.
The death of a woman in hospital later in the day brought the death toll from the strikes to five, officials said. Sixteen people were injured.
The Ukrainian president also said Tuesday that his forces had used Western-supplied F-16 fighter jets to thwart the attack. The Ukrainian army says it has shot down 60 suicide drones Shahed and 5 missiles out of the 91 devices fired by the Russians.
During a press conference, Volodymyr Zelensky also repeated that the number of devices received by kyiv was not “enough”.
On the night of Monday to Tuesday, a loud explosion was heard in kyiv by AFP journalists, probably due to the interception of a Russian projectile by anti-aircraft defenses.
Separately, local Ukrainian officials announced that five civilians were killed Tuesday in the regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv and Kherson during attacks by Russian drones and artillery.
On Monday, during the most massive Russian attack in weeks, 15 regions of Ukraine had already been targeted by a total of 236 missiles and drones, according to kyiv, which claims to have shot down 201.
Mainly targeting energy infrastructure, these bombings had left at least four dead and forced the authorities to impose power cuts current.
Since the beginning of the invasion in February 2022, Russia has regularly bombed this type of infrastructure, forcing the Ukrainian authorities to ration electricity there.
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New Ukrainian incursion ?
On Tuesday morning, the governor of the Russian region of Belgorod, border with Ukraine, also said it had received information indicating a new attempted incursion by Ukrainian armed forces.
“There are reports that the enemy is trying to cross the border of the Belgorod region. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the situation on the border remains difficult, but under control,” Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram.
According to the Russian Telegram channel MASH, known to be close to the authorities, Ukrainian military personnel are trying to enter the region via the town of Nekhotivka.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000Struggling on the Eastern Front against more numerous and better-equipped Russian troops, Ukraine launched a surprise offensive on August 6, which is still ongoing, on the Russian border region of Kursk, which borders Belgorod.
Ukrainian Army Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky said on Tuesday that his forces had made new advances and now controlled 100 towns over an area of 1294 km2 in this region.
He also said that 564 Russian soldiers had been taken prisoner and that Moscow had redeployed some 30,000 troops to try to counter the Ukrainian incursion.
Visiting the region, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stressed on Tuesday the danger posed by the proximity of the fighting to the Kursk nuclear power plant. “A nuclear power plant of this type so close to the point of contact or a military front is an extremely serious fact,” Rafael Grossi said.
With this offensive, kyiv wants in particular to create a “buffer zone” to protect itself from Russian attacks and to compensate for the short range of its munitions. Volodymyr Zelensky regularly calls on the West to allow his country to use its long-range weapons on Russian soil, which they refuse.
On Tuesday, he announced that kyiv had successfully tested a domestically-made ballistic missile.
Russia, however, continues to make steady gains on the eastern front, which remains the epicenter of the fighting. On Tuesday, it claimed the capture of a new Ukrainian village, Orlivka, near the strategic town of Pokrovsk.
IAEA chief stresses danger posed by fighting near Kursk plant
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi sounded the alarm on Tuesday during a site visit about the danger posed by the proximity of the Kursk nuclear plant to fighting between the Ukrainian and Russian armies.
“A nuclear power plant of this type so close to the point of contact or a military front is an extremely serious fact,” he said during a trip to the Russian border region of Kursk, where Ukrainian forces launched a surprise offensive three weeks ago.
Rafael Grossi said he had been able to visit “the most important parts” of the plant, which is less than 50 kilometers from the fighting.
The infrastructure is operating in “conditions very close to normal,” he said.
But it is precisely because it is operating that the consequences of an impact could be “serious,” Rafael Grossi stressed.
“It may seem simple and common sense: “Don't attack a nuclear power plant,” the official pleaded.
Since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine two and a half years ago, the agency has regularly warned of the risk of a nuclear accident due to fighting near power plants.
Attention and concern have so far focused on the Zaporizhzhia power plant in southern Ukraine, which Russian troops seized in March 2022.
But three weeks ago, on August 6, Ukraine launched a major cross-border offensive in the Russian region of Kursk.
Kiev's troops have since said they are continuing to advance into Russian territory, while Moscow's troops have said they are advancing in eastern Ukraine.
Russia has since insisted on the risk of a nuclear catastrophe in the event of a Ukrainian attack on the Kursk power plant, located about sixty kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that Ukraine had tried to strike the site.
The IAEA said it had been informed by Russia that drone fragments had been found about 100 metres from a spent fuel storage facility at the plant.
Rafael Grossi said on Tuesday that he had been shown “signs of the impact” of drones.