LAST UPDATE: 19:53
Russia is sending large numbers of reserve troops to Sheverodonetsk from other battle zones to try to gain full control of the eastern frontal city, the governor of Ukraine’s Luhansk region said on Sunday, according to Reuters.
“Today, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, they will drop all the reserves they have because there are already so many there, who are in critical mass,” Luhansk district governor Serhiy Gaidai told national television.
Gaidai also said that Russian forces already control most of the city, but not the entire Sheverodonetsk.
Russian missiles hit a gas plant in Izium
Several Russian rockets hit a gas plant in the Izumi region of eastern Ukraine, Kharkiv Governor Olekh Shinehubov said.
“A large fire broke out, rescuers reduced it,” Sinehubov wrote in a Telegram post.
According to the governor, other buildings in the area have also been damaged.
President Zelensky visited Mykolayev and Odessa for the first time
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who rarely leaves Kyiv after the Russian invasion of his country, visited today for the first time the areas of Mykolayev and Odessa in the Black Sea.
A video released by the Ukrainian presidency shows him inspecting a damaged apartment building and attending a meeting with local officials in Mykolayev. This city, which had a population of about 500,000 before the war, remains under Ukrainian control but is located very close to Kherson, which is almost completely occupied by the Russians. It is also considered a target for Moscow because it is located on the road to Odessa, the largest Ukrainian port, 130 km away.
Two people were killed and 20 were injured in a Russian bomb blast in the city on Friday.
In the video, Nikolaev’s governor Vitaly Kim shows Zelensky the facade of the local administration building, which was bombed by the Russians in March, killing 37 people.
Zelensky then visited Ukrainian army positions in the area as well as in neighboring Odessa, according to the presidency’s press office. “I want to thank you on behalf of the Ukrainian people, on behalf of our state, for your great work, for your heroic service,” he told soldiers in Odessa. “It is important that you stay alive. As long as you are alive, a Ukrainian wall protects our country,” he said.
Zelensky also attended a meeting of local authorities in Mykolajev, in an area that looks like an underground shelter and awarded medals to the men of the armed forces.
He also visited a hospital in Mykolayev and awarded honors to Mayor Oleksandr Senkevich and Governor Vitaly Kim for their work during the four months of the Russian invasion, his office said in a separate statement.
Five civilians returned in a prisoner exchange with Russia
The directorate of Ukraine’s military intelligence service said today that five Ukrainian civilians had been exchanged for five other prisoners with Russia. He did not say whether the Russians exchanged with the Ukrainians were fighters.
The same source said that four of the five Ukrainian civilians had been captured during the Russian occupation of parts of the Kiev region, from which Russian forces withdrew in late March.
He also said that the body of a Ukrainian civilian was recovered during the exchange of prisoners.
Source: Capital
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
