The Russian-occupied metropolis of Melitopol in southern Ukraine noticed heavy shelling on the weekend, in accordance with each Russian and Ukrainian sources, however there are conflicting studies on the variety of casualties.
Following an “night of strikes on Russo-fascist bases, 200 occupiers had been roasted [killed]” and 300 extra wounded, wrote Ivan Federov, the exiled mayor of Melitopol, on Telegram on Saturday.
Fedorov later rowed again on these claims, as a substitute saying there have been “dozens” lifeless.
Yevgeny Balitsky, the Russian-installed governor of Zaporizhzhia area, the place Meliopol is situated, confirmed there had been explosions within the metropolis in a Telegram put up.
Balitsky posted a video displaying emergency providers attending an enormous hearth on Saturday night time.
“Ukrainian HIMARS had been launched on the outskirts of Melitopol,” he stated. “Two missiles had been shot down by anti-aircraft protection, however 4 reached their goal.”
Balitsky described the goal of the assault as a “recreation middle” the place civilians and army personnel had been “having dinner on Saturday night time,” however he didn’t identify the goal.
In accordance with Balitsky, there have been two lifeless and 10 injured within the assault.
“Three of them have to be hospitalized, and now they’re being handled as inpatients in a medical facility,” he stated.
On Sunday night time, Fedorov advised Ukrainian tv that “yesterday the enemy had a disappointing day and a disappointing night time within the briefly occupied Melitopol district.”
He listed three websites that had been struck, together with a “restaurant-hotel complicated on the outskirts of Melitopol – ‘Prival Okhotnika’ [‘Hunter’s Rest’].”
The opposite two had been a checkpoint 20km (12 miles) from Melitopol in Novobohdanivka, and a army unit that was “fully destroyed” close to the village of Semenivka.
Melitopol lies south of town of Zaporizhzhia and to the east of Kherson. It’s a main Russian logistics hub and has been in Russian palms because the early days of the invasion.
Some background: Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, underlined the significance of town in feedback made to native media outlet Feigin Dwell on Saturday.
“If Melitopol falls, your complete protection (of the occupiers) to Kherson collapses, the Ukrainian armed forces bounce proper to the border with Crimea on the isthmus,” stated Arestovych.
The assaults on Melitopol got here as Ukrainian forces additionally struck a resort in Luhansk which allegedly housed a Wagner mercenary unit.
