KYIV, Aug 31: Russia launched a large-scale overnight attack on 14 Ukrainian regions, while Ukraine struck Russian oil refineries in retaliation, the BBC reported.
One woman was killed in Zaporizhzhia and at least 30 others were injured, including children, citing local officials, the BBC added.
President Volodymyr Zelensky told the BBC that Russia had fired nearly 540 drones and 45 missiles during the assault. He urged Western allies to impose tougher sanctions on Moscow. The BBC stated that Russia’s defence ministry later claimed all designated targets had been hit, although this could not be independently verified.
Russian forces shell Ukraine’s No. 2 city and menace Kyiv
_20220301082442.jpeg)
The BBC said the attacks followed what Ukrainian officials described as the second-largest aerial strike on Kyiv earlier this week, which left at least 25 people dead. In Dnipropetrovsk, the BBC quoted regional chief Serhiy Lysak as saying infrastructure was hit during the “massive” assault. He told the BBC that in Dnipro city, a residential building was destroyed and a shopping centre was damaged. No deaths were reported overnight, though four people were later injured in a separate drone strike on Saturday.
According to the BBC, emergency crews in Zaporizhzhia were seen putting out fires, while explosions were heard across central and eastern Ukraine. Railway infrastructure near Kyiv was also damaged, the BBC reported.
The BBC quoted Ukraine’s military as saying its drones struck two Russian oil facilities in Krasnodar and Syzran. It reported “numerous explosions” and fires at Krasnodar, which produces about three million tonnes of petroleum annually. The Syzran plant, which produces 8.5 million tonnes a year, was also set ablaze, the BBC said. Russian officials in Krasnodar acknowledged damage to a processing unit and a fire but insisted there were no casualties, according to the BBC.
The BBC stated that Russia’s defence ministry said 20 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight, including 18 over Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014. It also reported that Russian forces claimed to have captured the village of Komyshevakha in Donetsk, though Ukraine has not confirmed it. The BBC quoted Russia’s chief of general staff, Valery Gerasimov, saying troops were pressing a “non-stop offensive” along much of the frontline.
Diplomatic efforts remain stalled, the BBC observed. Zelensky told the BBC that Russia’s attacks showed “disregard for words” and demanded stronger sanctions. EU ministers, meeting in Denmark, discussed freezing €210bn in Russian assets. The BBC reported that France planned to push new sanctions, quoting Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot as saying they aimed to drain resources Moscow is using to fund the war.
_20220605181901.jpeg)
