Intense fighting rages in Ukraine’s Donbas, Kherson
Russian and Ukrainian forces are engaged in heavy fighting around two towns in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region and in the Kherson province in the south, which Russia said it had annexed last month.
“The key hot spots in Donbas are Soledar and Bakhmut,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address on Sunday. “Very heavy fighting is going on there.”
Bakhmut has been a target of Russian forces in their slow move through the region since taking the twin industrial towns of Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk in June and July. Soledar is just north of Bakhmut.
Russia’s defence ministry said on Sunday its forces had repelled efforts by Ukrainian troops to advance in the Donetsk, Kherson and Mykolaiv regions.
Kyiv attacked by ‘kamikaze drones’: Ukrainian presidency
The Ukrainian capital has been attacked by “kamikaze drones”, Ukrainian president’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak has said.
“The Russians think it will help them, but it shows their desperation,” Yermak said on social media.
Military analysts say Russia most likely used strategic bombers, cruise missiles and Iranian-made Shaheed “kamikaze” drones during renewed shelling is revenge for an attack on the Crimean Bridge, which links the annexed peninsula to mainland Russia.
Several explosions rock central Kyiv district
Several explosions have hit a central district of Ukraine’s capital, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
The blasts hit the Shevchenkivskyi district and damaged a number of residential buildings, Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging service.
“Rescuers are on the site,” he wrote, adding that as a result of what he said was a drone attack, a fire also broke out in a non-residential building.
There was no immediate information on casualties.
Journalists from the AFP news agency reported two explosions, at about 6:35am and 6:45am local time (03:35 GMT and 03:45 GMT), shortly after air raid sirens sounded. Witnesses told the Reuters news agency there were two blasts.
