Ukraine attacks occupied Melitopol, Russian side says two killed - Yahoo News

By Nick Starkov

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine attacked occupied Melitopol successful the country's southeast connected Saturday evening, the Russian-installed and exiled Ukrainian authorities of the strategically located metropolis said.

The pro-Moscow authorities said a rocket onslaught killed 2 radical and injured 10, portion the exiled 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 large 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.

An advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Oleksiy Arestovych, said Melitopol, a large concern and transport centre occupied by Russia since March, is cardinal to the defence of the 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 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 the Ukraine's Armed Forces said it had been conducting strikes connected Melitopol.

(Reporting by Nick Starkov successful Kyiv; Writing by Lidia Kelly successful Melbourne; Editing by William Mallard)