“Resistance Movement”
Three Russian officers apparently killed in explosion in occupied southern Ukraine
The south of Ukraine in particular is heavily contested, including the areas partially occupied by Russia
© Kostyra Liberov / Libkos / Getty Images
Over the weekend, Russia attacked Ukraine in several places – including the capital Kiev. Meanwhile, Ukraine reported the deaths of three Russian officers. A “resistance movement” is probably responsible.
The attack on the headquarters was carried out during a meeting between the Russian secret service FSB and the Russian National Guard on Saturday, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said. At least three Russian Guard officers were “eliminated”.
The Russian army again came under heavy fire on Ukraine at the weekend – the capital Kiev was also attacked again for the first time in two months of relative calm. According to authorities, at least seven people were killed.
Dead and injured in Ukraine over the weekend
According to the General Prosecutor’s Office, two people were killed in a Russian attack under circumstances that remain unclear in the northeastern Ukrainian region of Sumy. In Torezke in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, two elderly people were killed “presumably by artillery fire”. According to Governor Oleg Kiper, in the southwestern region of Odessa, the Russian army again targeted port facilities important for the export of goods from the country, and several people were injured in the region.
According to Governor Oleksander Prokudin, a total of three people have died in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson since Friday evening as a result of Russian shelling, and more than ten others have been injured, according to official information. The city of Kherson itself was also hit and is still under Russian fire almost every day.
A year ago, the Ukrainian army recaptured Kherson from the Russian occupiers. It was Ukraine’s last major military success so far – whose counteroffensive that began in early summer is making little progress. Head of State Volodymyr Zelenskyj praised the “heroism” of the residents of Kherson on Saturday, which is the “epitome of hope”. The anniversary of the liberation of Kherson strengthens Ukrainians’ “confidence in their abilities,” Zelensky said in a video speech.
Missile alarm in the capital
Meanwhile, on Saturday the capital Kiev became the direct theater of war for the first time in weeks. According to the head of the capital’s military administration, Serhiy Popko, Ukrainian air defenses repelled a Russian missile that was supposed to hit the city. Journalists from the AFP news agency heard two powerful explosions in the center of Kiev on Saturday morning. They also saw white lines of smoke in the sky, and shortly afterwards air raid sirens sounded.
When asked why the alarm was only raised after the explosion, an Air Force spokesman said on television that “ballistic missiles fly extremely fast and are not as visible on radar as cruise missiles.” The Air Force said it was checking whether Kiev was targeted by an Iskander ballistic missile or an S-400 anti-aircraft missile.
The Ukrainian air defense last fired a missile over Kiev on September 21st. Seven people were injured by the falling debris. Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, Kiev has been repeatedly fired at by Russian missiles.
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Ukraine fears increasing Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure this winter. Last winter, Russia launched numerous attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. For millions of people, this meant outages of water, electricity and heating in freezing winter temperatures.
Meanwhile, Russia accused Ukraine of a series of attacks on the Russian border regions of Bryansk and Belgorod. Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov spoke of drone and missile attacks in several areas of the region, but most of them did not cause any damage, injure or kill people. However, in the town of Waluiki, around 30 kilometers from the border, five railway carriages and three houses were damaged.