At least 25 people are said to have been killed in a suburb of Donetsk. The Russian authorities blame the Ukrainian army. An LNG plant caught fire west of St. Petersburg – was it a drone attack?
At least 25 people are said to have been killed in the shelling of a suburb of the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk. Russian-appointed administrative chief Denis Pushilin said 20 people were injured in the attack on a market in Textilshchik. The Ukrainian military was responsible for the shelling.
According to the occupation mayor Alexei Kulemsin, the Ukrainian armed forces shelled a busy part of the city where there were shops and a market. Rescue workers are on site.
The Ukrainian government has not yet commented on the incident.
The large city of Donetsk is located in eastern Ukraine, around 20 kilometers from the front. In 2014 it came under the control of pro-Russian separatists. Four people were killed and 13 injured in Ukrainian attacks on New Year’s Eve, according to Russian-controlled authorities.
Russia takes village near Kupyansk
Further north, the fighting on the front continues. Russian troops took over the town of Krochmalne, the Ukrainian army confirmed. As expected, both sides assess the revenue differently. The Russian Defense Ministry spoke of the “liberation” of the village. Before the major Russian attack, Krochmalne had 45 residents. It is located around 30 kilometers southeast of Kupyansk, an important railway junction. Kupyansk is believed to be a main target for Russian troops on this sector of the front.
Ukraine describes the village as “of no strategic importance.” The defenders had withdrawn in an orderly manner and were now in prepared defensive positions “to prevent the enemy from further advance.”
In view of increased Russian attacks, the authorities in the Kharkiv region ordered the evacuation of 26 places at the beginning of the week. A total of about 3,000 people were affected, including residents of villages in the Kupiansk district. The Russian army has gone on the offensive again in eastern Ukraine in recent weeks – troops, material and ammunition have been brought together and are slowly pushing the Ukrainian units back in some areas. According to the Ukrainian army, the Russians suffered significant losses.
Hatched: territories occupied by Russia
Fire in LNG plant – drone attack?
A liquid gas terminal caught fire in the Russian Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga. The fire in a Nowatek plant around 170 kilometers west of St. Petersburg is now under control, said regional governor Alexander Drozdenko. Nobody was injured. He did not comment on the cause of the fire. Nowatek only spoke of an “external factor” as the cause of the fire.
Local media reported that residents spotted one or two drones nearby and then heard several explosions.
Firefighters extinguishing the LNG plant in Ust-Luga.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported no drone activity in the Ust-Luga area. Four Ukrainian drones were shot down in the Smolensk region, two in the Oryol and Tula regions. Last week, according to Russian sources, Ukraine tried in vain to attack an oil terminal in St. Petersburg with a drone.