Moscow, Russia claimed on Monday the capture of two other towns in the east of Ukraine, where it continues its offensive with slow advances, but was the target of Ukrainian drone attacks that caused power outages in regions near the border.
Russian forces, taking advantage of the Ukrainian army’s difficulties in recruiting men and in obtaining more weapons and ammunition from Western powers, have been gaining ground in eastern Ukraine for months.
They claimed to have captured five towns in various sectors of the front since Saturday.
Moscow’s troops captured the village of Novopokrovske in the eastern Donetsk region and Stepova Novoselivka in Kharkiv in the northeast, the Defence Ministry said.
The first village is located near Ocheretine, where Russia has made rapid gains in recent weeks, and the second is located in the direction of Kupiansk, one of the objectives of the Russian offensive in the northeast.
The Russian army claimed over the weekend the capture of three other villages, including Shumi, near the mining town of Toretsk, another current axis of attack in the east.
Ukrainian authorities announced on Monday the evacuation of more than 700 residents of Toretsk, but nearly 5,000 people remain in the city and “many of them are trying to leave,” police said on Telegram.
240,000 people without electricity
The town of Toretsk is a major barrier to access to Kramatorsk, the Kremlin’s ultimate objective in the Donbas region.
Two women were killed and eight others injured in a Russian airstrike in the Donetsk city of Ukrainsk, which damaged an administrative building and homes, according to Ukrainian prosecutors.
On the Russian side, Ukrainian drone strikes on Monday cut off electricity and running water for several hours in the border region of Belgorod, and could affect other regions, according to local authorities.
“In Belgorod, there have been power supply restrictions since this morning. Some parts of the city have water supply interruptions,” Mayor Valentin Demidov told Telegram.
The Ministry of Energy said 240,000 people were affected by the power outages.
A four-year-old girl was killed and seven others were injured in the Ukrainian drone strikes, said Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
One civilian was killed by a shell that fell in the village of Novaya Tavoljanka.
Peace plans
The Russian Defense Ministry said it had destroyed 36 Ukrainian drones overnight and three more in the afternoon in the Belgorod region.
Russia has also stepped up its attacks on Ukrainian power plants for several months, causing power outages across the country.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine has lost half of its energy capabilities due to these attacks.
Ukraine, on the defensive since the failure of its counter-offensive last year and the fall of Avdiivka in February, has urged Western powers to urgently send it new anti-aircraft systems to counter Russian attacks.
Zelensky assured at the end of June that he is working on a new plan to end the conflict, with the aim of obtaining the “support of the majority” of the international community.
His Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putinoutlined its own solution: for Ukraine to cede five regions partially occupied by Moscow and renounce joining NATO, representing a de facto surrender demand rejected by both kyiv and Western powers.
Source: With information from AFP
