Possible Ukrainian Himars strike hits Russian-occupied Melitopol - The Guardian

Ukraine has attacked Russian-occupied Melitopol, according to some the Moscow-installed and exiled Ukrainian authorities of the strategically located metropolis successful the country’s south-east.

The pro-Moscow authorities said a rocket onslaught connected Saturday evening killed 2 radical and injured 10, portion the exiled Ukrainian politician said scores of “invaders” were killed.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports of the attacks oregon deaths.

“Air defence systems destroyed 2 missiles, 4 reached their targets,” Yevgeny Balitsky, the Moscow-appointed politician of the occupied portion of the Zaporizhzhia region, said connected the Telegram messaging app.

He said a “recreation centre” wherever radical were eating was destroyed successful the Ukrainian onslaught with Himars missiles.

The exiled mayor, Ivan Fedorov, said connected his Telegram transmission that the onslaught deed a religion that Russians had turned into a gathering place.

Vladimir Rogov, different Moscow-installed authoritative successful the Russian-controlled portion of Zaporizhzhia, said a occurrence caused by the onslaught engulfed the recreation centre. He posted a video of a operation successful flames.

Himars aggregate rocket launchers person been among Ukraine’s astir effectual weapons successful the war, delivering precision occurrence connected hundreds of targets, including Russian bid posts. On Friday, the United States said it was sending much assistance to Kyiv to fortify its aerial defences and decision drones.

Oleksiy Arestovych, an advisor to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said Melitopol, a large concern and transport centre occupied by Russia since March, was the cardinal to south.

“All logistics linking the Russian forces connected the eastbound portion of the Kherson portion and each the mode to the Russian borderline adjacent Mariupol is carried retired done it,” Arestovych said successful a video interrogation connected societal media.

“If Melitopol falls, the full [Russian] defence enactment each the mode to Kherson collapses. Ukrainian forces summation a nonstop way to Crimea.”

There was nary contiguous remark from the Ukrainian service astir the attacks. Earlier successful the day, the cardinal bid of Ukraine’s equipped forces said it had been conducting strikes connected Melitopol.