Power Outages in the Melitopol, Donetsk, and Sevastopol Regions: “The U.S. Air Force is Back in Business”
There have been multiple explosions in the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol in southernUkraine, in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, and in annexed Sevastopol.
Yevgeny Balitsky, Russia’s acting governor of Zaporizhzhia, said the missile attack on Melitopol had “completely destroyed” a recreation center where “people, civilians, and [military] base personnel were having dinner on Saturday night.”
Russian military is now living in schools and houses taken from them. Federov said military equipment is in residential areas.
Meanwhile, Russian officials said Sunday morning that Ukrainian missiles had hit several apartment buildings in the Donetsk People’s Republic and that some landed near the Opera and Ballet Theater and the Kalinin Hospital.
According to the head of the Russian-backed city administration, 20 Grad missiles were fired into the sky around 5:54 am. The time of Sunday is in the direction of the Kalininsky districts.
The unofficial Crimean media portal “Krymskyi veter” said an explosion at a Russian military barracks in Sovietske had set the barracks on fire and there were dead and wounded.
Sergey Aksenov, the Russian-appointed head of Crimea, said on Telegram: “The air defense system worked over Simferopol. All services are working as they always do.
Reports say that 1.5 million people in Odesa are without power following strikes by Iranian-made drones.
He said “Ukrainian sky defenders” had shot down 10 of the 15 drones, but the damage was still “critical” and he suggested it will take a few days to restore electricity supply in the region.
Since October, Ukraine has faced a wide assault on critical infrastructure and power sources. Millions of people were left without power due to cold winter temperatures.
“In general, both emergency and stabilization power outages continue in various regions,” Zelensky said. The power system is not a normal state at this time.
The destruction of Melitopol and Zaporizhia by Russian HIMARS during the November 11 invasion, according to Zelensky
Zelensky claims that it is Russia’s attitude towards Odesa residents that has been the cause of disaster.
The new support package from Norway was used for the restoration of our energy system, according to Zelensky.
Following an “evening of strikes on Russo-fascist bases, 200 occupiers were roasted [killed]” and 300 more wounded, wrote Ivan Federov, the exiled mayor of Melitopol, on Telegram on Saturday.
He saidUkrainian HIMARS were launched on the outskirts of Melitopol. “Two missiles were shot down by anti-aircraft defense, but four reached their target.”
On Sunday night, Fedorov told Ukrainian television that “yesterday the enemy had a disappointing day and a disappointing night in the temporarily occupied Melitopol district.”
The other two were a checkpoint 20km (12 miles) from Melitopol in Novobohdanivka, and a military unit that was “completely destroyed” near the village of Semenivka.
To the east of Kherson lies the city of Zaporizhzhia, which lies south of Melitopol. It is a major Russian logistics hub and has been in Russian hands since the early days of the invasion.
An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made comments to a local media outlet on Saturday that emphasized the importance of the city.
“If Melitopol falls, the entire defense (of the occupiers) to Kherson collapses, the Ukrainian armed forces jump right to the border with Crimea on the isthmus,” said Arestovych.