Ukraine strikes Russian Controlled Territory

 

According to Ukrainian officials, Ukrainian forces attacked an ammunition depot in Russian-occupied territory south of the country. This was as Russia bombarded Ukrainian cities in eastern Ukraine in its attempt to seize the entire Donbas region.

The long-range strikes are a sign of the next phase in the war. Ukraine wants to free its southern regions from Russian influence, and Moscow seeks to take more of Ukraine's eastern territories.

Ukraine claimed that it had achieved success in its south-bound efforts late Monday. Eight foreign ships could access ports after Russian forces were expelled from Snake Island, a strategic island in the Black Sea. Ukraine is a significant wheat exporter and has had difficulty exporting grains since Russia took its main ports. In recent weeks, Ukraine used long-range rocket launchers donated by the U.S. to attack dozens of Russian command posts and ammunition depots. Kyiv did not identify the weapon used in Monday's attack. Russian officials claimed that the attack was carried out by Ukrainian forces using multiple-launch rocket systems made in America, known as Himars.

Officials from Ukraine shared a video on social media showing a massive explosion. According to the Ukrainian armed forces, the strike destroyed ammunition, artillery, and armoured vehicles. Russian officials claimed civilian infrastructure was damaged, including residential housing, a market and a fertilizer storage site. It resulted in seven deaths and 80 injuries.

Special forces from Ukraine and partisans in the south have attacked infrastructure and other Russian collaborators. According to Russian and Ukrainian officials, Evgeny Junakov was the head of the administration in Russian-occupied Velykyi Bobryk. He was killed in an explosion on Monday, and this was the latest in a series of similar deaths in Russian-occupied territories.

According to Russian and Ukrainian officials, Ukrainian forces struck targets in Energodar, a Russian-controlled city. Officials from Ukraine claimed that the drones struck a military compound, while local pro-Russian officials stated that the target was a residential structure.

Both sides have suffered heavy losses in the war of attrition that has evolved into a war of attrition. This is characterized by constant volleys of heavy artillery, missiles, and artillery. Russia has increased missile strikes against positions further away from the frontlines as the West imports long-range weapons into Ukraine.

Although strikes continue across the country, most of Moscow's firepower was directed at the Donetsk area in the days since Moscow claimed complete control of all Luhansk regions. Russia and the separatist forces Moscow controls to hold a portion of Donetsk. Moscow would have full control over the Donbas region if it captured the rest. This is the priority of the Kremlin after its withdrawal from central Ukraine in March.

According to Oleh Synyehubov, heavy shelling was carried out in the northeastern Kharkiv area, where the districts of Kharkiv and Bohodukhiv were under heavy fire early Tuesday. According to Mr Synyehubov, Ukrainian forces claimed they had stopped Russian troops from attacking the towns of Dementiivka or Izyum.

Turkey's defence minister stated that military officials from Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey would meet in Istanbul Wednesday to discuss a plan to export Ukrainian grain into the international market.

The U.N. and Turkey have been trying to broker an agreement to export more than 20 million metric tones of grain trapped in Ukraine. The issue is how to ship the grain through the Black Sea, where both Russian and Ukrainian forces have placed sea mines.

On Tuesday, the Turkish Defense Ministry stated that talks with Russia and Ukraine were "developing positively."

On Tuesday, European Union finance ministers agreed to loan Ukraine 1 billion euros. This is equivalent to $1 billion, and it was the first tranche of the EUR9 billion loan the bloc's leaders approved last month.

These funds will be available to Ukraine for urgent bills for essential services within the next months and will match U.S. short-term funding. The E.U. will also pay interest on the first tranche, which Ukraine will need to repay over many years. This is in addition to a EUR1.2 million loan that the E.U. gave Ukraine after the war began.