Ukraine says it will target Russian soldiers who fire on the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant or use it as a base for firing, as both sides again accused the other of bombing the facility. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that Russian soldiers firing at the plant or using it as cover would become a “special target”, Reuters reported. He repeated accusations that Moscow was using the plant, Europe’s largest, as nuclear blackmail. The mayor-in-exile of the town where the plant is located in southeastern Ukraine said it had come under fire again.
An explosion was heard in the northeastern part of Melitopol, the mayor of the city, Ivan Fedorov, Melitopol, posted on Telegram. “We are waiting for good news about the Russian losses,” he added. The city, which lies east of the Dnipro River and northeast of the Crimean peninsula, has been occupied since March.
The two main road bridges that give access to the Russian-held pocket of territory on the west bank of the Dnipro in Ukraine’s Kherson region are likely to be out of use for major Russian military supply, intelligence said Saturday. British military intelligence, which the UK Ministry of Defense has described as a key vulnerability.
The death toll following a Russian missile attack on Kramatorsk in Ukraine’s Donetsk region has risen to three, the Kyiv Post reports. He cites a Ukrinform report citing Kramatorsk Mayor Oleksandr Honcharenko as its source.
The United States has said it is concerned by reports of British, Swedish and Croatian nationals being charged by “illegitimate authorities” in eastern Ukraine. “Russia and its proxies have an obligation to respect international humanitarian law, including the rights and protections afforded to prisoners of war,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Russia has warned the United States that potentially placing Russia on the US State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism could be a diplomatic “point of no return” and lead to a complete breakdown in relations between two countries
According to Ukrainian media, the Ukrainian military has shot down a Russian fighter jet in the last day, as well as four Russian drones.
Two Russian missiles hit Kharkiv overnight Saturday, the region’s governor, Oleh Synehubov, said on national television. He said there were no casualties, but one missile damaged a technical university while the other landed in a residential area, Reuters reported.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Saturday that the war could only end with the return of the Crimean peninsula and the punishment of Russian leaders who ordered the military invasion.
Russian forces have taken full control of Pisky, a village on the outskirts of Ukraine’s Donetsk region, Russian Defense Ministry Interfax reported on Saturday. Ukraine’s military command later said “fierce fighting” was continuing in the village.
Ukraine’s health minister has accused the Russian authorities of committing a crime against humanity by blocking access to affordable medicine and hospitals in the occupied areas.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has again complained that the lack of comprehensive Schengen travel restrictions for Russians places an “unfair” burden on Russia’s neighboring countries, and has reiterated calls for the European Union to introduce visa bans for Russian nationals.