The Russian army said on Friday it had “improved” its positions in northeastern Ukraine, where the offensive the day before forced the withdrawal of civilians, and bombarded the western part of the country with four hypersonic missiles.
An eight-year-old boy died in the Ivano-Frankivsk region in the west of the former Soviet republic when Kinzhal hypersonic missiles hit the region, the Ukrainian attorney general’s office reported on Telegram.
The region has seen few attacks since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, as it is hundreds of miles from the battle’s frontline.
The skirmishes are mainly concentrated in the south and east, where Moscow has claimed several advances for a few weeks. “Towards Kupiansk, the assault units of the Western battlegroups (…) continued their offensive operations on a broad front and improved the tactical situation”the Russian Ministry of Defense said in its daily report.
Russian troops occupied that city and its surroundings at the start of the conflict, but were driven out in September 2022 in a lightning-fast Ukrainian counter-offensive.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its troops had improved their positions near the towns of Olchana and Pershotravneve, in the Kharkiv region (northeast). Faced with the advance of the Russians, Ukrainian authorities on Thursday ordered the evacuation of 37 towns in the district.
In June, Ukraine launched a counteroffensive after receiving significant military reinforcements from Western powers, but acknowledged difficulties in the face of resistance from Russian forces.
The Ukrainian army yesterday guaranteed that “the situation remains difficult but under control” in the region.
Russian bombing
Russia bombs Ukrainian locations daily, some far from the front.
The Ukrainian military reported that Russia launched four Kinzhal hypersonic missiles against the Ivano-Frankivsk region and only one was intercepted.
“One Kh-47 missile may have been destroyed in the Kiev region. The others hit near an airport and damaged civilian infrastructure, and another hit a residential area.”announced.
Debris from the destroyed Kinzhal missile landed on two neighborhoods in the Ukrainian capital without causing significant damage, military officials said.
According to local authorities, one person was killed and 16 injured in a bomb attack in Zaporizia (south) on Thursday. Police specified that two Iskander missiles destroyed a hotel in the city, where foreign delegations usually stay.
“I’m shocked at that [o míssil] hit a hotel often used by UN officials and our NGO colleagues in Zaporizhiya”said the UN coordinator in Ukraine, Denis Brown, who also stayed at the establishment. “It’s totally unacceptable”he added.
The Russian army claimed to have attacked “a temporary deployment for foreign mercenaries”.
In recent weeks, Moscow has repeatedly bombed recreation and rest areas in this city. Nine people were killed in an attack on the eastern city of Pokrovsk on Tuesday.
Drone in Moscow
The Russian army is said to have shot down a Ukrainian drone west of Moscow.
“The drone was electronically disabled and crashed into a forest in western Moscow”the Russian Defense Ministry stated in Telegram, accusing the “Kyiv regime” of the attack.
It is the third time this week that drones have been shot down in Moscow. The number of attacks on Russian territory has increased in recent weeks, in most cases without causing damage or casualties.
In Ukraine, President Volodymir Zelensky announced the resignation of all regional officials responsible for military recruitment as part of a campaign to stamp out corruption that allowed recruits to avoid conscription. Fighting endemic corruption is one of the conditions set by the European Union (EU) for the country’s entry into the bloc.
Source: DN
