WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russian missile attack on Ukrainian town kills seven, officials say

Russian forces on Saturday fired missiles at the town of Vilniansk, outside the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, killing seven people, including two children, and injuring 31 others, officials said.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy repeated his appeal to allies to provide Ukraine with more long-range weapons and enhanced air defences to stop what he said were daily attacks on his country.

Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said two missiles were fired on the town, damaging infrastructure, a shop and residential buildings.

Emergency services put the death toll at seven, including two children, with 31 others injured, eight of them children. Firefighters had put out blazes in several buildings and completed rescue operations.

"Today the enemy carried out yet another dreadful terrorist act against the civilian population," Zaporizhzhia Regional Governor Ivan Fedorov said in a video posted on the Telegram messaging app.

The attack occurred in "the middle of the day, a non-working day, in the town centre, where people were out relaxing, where there were no military targets," Fedorov said.

Zelenskiy posted photos from the site showing a large crater, downed trees and a pair of tarpaulins spread out on the ground of what looked like a park.

"Our cities and communities suffer daily from such Russian strikes. But there are ways to overcome this," Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram.

"Destroying terrorists where they are. Destroying Russian missile launchers, striking with real long-range capability and increasing the number of modern air defence systems in Ukraine" were ways to defend against such attacks, Zelenskiy said.

Russia's Defence Ministry did not reply to a request for comment on the incident.

The Russian ministry, writing on Telegram, said its missiles had struck a nearby area in Zaporizhzhia region where it said Ukrainian trains unloaded arms and military equipment, killing soldiers and destroying armoured vehicles and missiles.

The post, accompanied by a photo of a strike, identified the site as the village of Ukrainka, less than 10 km (six miles) from Vilniansk.

Reuters could not independently verify battlefield accounts from either side.

The governor of Donetsk region, further to the east, said one person died in two incidents of shelling in the city of Kurakhove. Officials said two people in Kherson region, partly occupied by Russian forces in the south, were also killed.

Rescue teams also were still working at an apartment building that was badly damaged in a missile strike on Friday in the central city of Dnipro. That attack killed one person and injured 13, with a number of others still missing.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine loses up to 270 troops in area of responsibility of Russia’s Battlegroup North

Ukraine lost up to 270 troops in the area of responsibility of Russia’s Battlegroup North in the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

"Units of Battlegroup North hit the troops and equipment of the 42nd and 57th mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian armed forces and the 105th Territorial Defense Brigade near Neskuchnoye, Volchansk and Liptsy in the Kharkov Region. The enemy lost up to 270 troops," the statement reads.

The Ukrainian army also lost a tank, four motor vehicles, a US-made M109 Paladin 155 mm howitzer, a 2A65 Msta-B 152 mm howitzer and three D-30 122 mm howitzers.

Battlegroup Dnepr eliminates up to 100 Ukrainian troops in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr eliminated up to 100 Ukrainian troops and destroyed a field ammunition depot in the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

"Units of Battlegroup Dnepr hit the troops and equipment of the 65th Mechanized Brigade and the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces, as well as the 35th Marine Brigade, and the 15th National Guard Brigade, near Pyatkhatki, Rabotino and Malaya Tokmachka in the Zaporozhye Region and Novotyaginka in the Kherson Region. The Ukrainian armed forces lost up to 100 troops, six motor vehicles, a US-made M777 155 mm howitzer, a D-20 152 mm howitzer and a Gvozdika 122 mm self-propelled howitzer. A Ukrainian field ammunition depot was also destroyed," the statement reads.

Ukraine loses up to 360 troops in area of responsibility of Russia’s Battlegroup Center

The Ukrainian army lost up to 360 troops in the area of responsibility of Russia’s Battlegroup Center in the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

According to the ministry, the battlegroup liberated the settlement of Shumy in the Donetsk People’s Republic and improved its tactical positions, inflicting a defeat on the forces of the 41st Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces and the 109th Territorial Defense Brigade in several settlements in the Donetsk People’s Republic.

"Six counterattacks by assault teams of the 47th Mechanized Brigade, the 142nd Infantry Brigade and the 68th Ranger Brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces were repelled in the past day. The enemy lost up to 360 troops, two armored combat vehicles, a motor vehicle, a D-20 152 mm howitzer, two D-30 122 mm howitzers, a US-made M119 105 mm howitzer and an MT-12 Rapira 100 mm anti-tank gun," the statement said.

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicts defeat on seven Ukrainian brigades

Units of Russia’s Battlegroup West moved to more advantageous positions in the past day, inflicting a defeat on seven Ukrainian brigades, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

"Units of Battlegroup West moved to more advantageous positions in the past day, inflicting a defeat on the forces of the 1st, 14th, 63rd and 116th mechanized and the 4th Tank Brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces, the 112th Territorial Defense Brigade and the 1st National Guard Brigade near Petropavlovka, Sinkovka and Berestovoye in the Kharkov Region, Chervonaya Dibrova and Stelmakhovka in the Lugansk People’s Republic," the statement reads.

In addition, two counterattacks by Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade were repelled. "Over the past day, the Ukrainian armed forces lost over 500 troops, three motor vehicles, a US-made M198 155 mm howitzer, a 2S1 Gvozdika 122 mm self-propelled howitzer and a D-30 122 mm howitzer," the Russian Defense Ministry said, adding that two Ukrainian ammunition depots and a US-made AN/TPQ-50 radar system had also been destroyed.

Reuters/Tass