War in Ukraine, day 178 | Twelve wounded in a Russian bombardment in the Mykolaiv region

(Kyiv and Moscow) Twelve Ukrainians were injured on Saturday in a Russian bombardment in Voznesensk, a town not far from a nuclear power plant in the south of the country, said the Ukrainian authorities, who accuse Moscow of “nuclear terrorism”.

“According to preliminary information, twelve people including three children were injured. Two children are in serious condition” after this attack in the Mykolaiv region, the prosecution said on Telegram messaging.

Earlier in the day, regional governor Vitaly Kim reported, on the same network, nine injuries, including four children aged three to 17 and who, according to him, were “all in serious condition”.

Voznesensk is about twenty kilometers as the crow flies from the Ukrainian nuclear power plant of Privdennooukraïnsk, the second most powerful in Ukraine, which has a total of four nuclear power plants.

A Russian strike in the 30-kilometer zone around the plant “is another cynical act of nuclear terrorism by Russia”, accused Ukrainian nuclear power plant operator Energoatom on Telegram.

“It cannot be ruled out that this missile was fired in the direction of the Pivdennooukrainsk power plant, which the Russian military already tried to seize at the beginning of March”, accused Energoatom.

The strike hit a residential building and several houses in Voznesensk, where around 30,000 people live, the State Emergency Service said on Facebook, posting images of a gutted building.

The Mykolaiv region, which regularly suffers heavy Russian bombardments, is close to that of Kherson, almost entirely occupied by Russian troops since Moscow launched an attack on Ukraine at the end of February.

“Voznesensk. The terrorist country called Russia hit a residential building,” the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration Andriy Iermak denounced on Telegram.

“Our task is to ensure that not only the current generation of Russians are held accountable but also their children and grandchildren. Russia will pay for everything,” he added.

The Ukrainian army also indicated on Saturday on Telegram that it had shot down four Russian Kalibr-type cruise missiles near the city of Dnipro (Center-East) launched from the Black Sea, using an anti-aircraft defense system S -300.

The exiled mayor of Melitopol, a city in the Kherson region occupied by the Russians, Ivan Fedorov, for his part said in the morning on Telegram that the Ukrainians had bombed a Russian military base in this occupied city.

On the ground, the Ukrainian army reported on Saturday attempted Russian offensives, particularly in the Donetsk region, near the towns of Bakhmout, Zaïtsevé and Kodema. “The fighting continues,” said the staff of the Ukrainian armed forces, in a press release.

Europe also has its eyes riveted on the Ukrainian power plant in Zaporijjia (South), the largest on the continent, and fears a major disaster while the plant, occupied since March by Russian troops, is the target of bombardments, including s mutually accuse Kyiv and Moscow. Friday evening, the French and Russian presidents noted “the importance of sending as soon as possible a mission from the International Atomic Energy Agency to the nuclear power plant, which will be able to assess the situation on site”, according to the Kremlin.

Attack on Russian Fleet Headquarters

A drone attack on Saturday targeted the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, without causing injuries, said the governor of this city of the annexed peninsula of Crimea, Mikhail Razvojayev.

“The drone was shot down just above the Fleet Headquarters, it fell on the roof and caught fire,” Razvojayev wrote on Telegram.

The incident “did not cause serious damage” or injuries, he said, blaming the attack on the Ukrainian forces.

This is the second drone attack against the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol in less than a month.

On July 31, a drone landed in the courtyard of the Fleet Headquarters, injuring five of its employees and causing the cancellation of all planned Russian Fleet Day festivities. celebrated that day.

Accused by Russia of being behind this attack, Ukraine then denied its involvement, calling these accusations “provocation”.

This new attack comes as explosions and attacks targeting Russian military infrastructure are increasing in Crimea.

Thursday evening, Russian forces shot down a drone near a military airfield in Sevastopol.

On Tuesday, explosions occurred at a military base and an ammunition depot in Crimea, with Russia calling them acts of “sabotage”.

At the beginning of August, the explosion of ammunition intended for military aviation near the military airfield of Saki, in Crimea, caused one death and several injuries.

In addition, the anti-aircraft defense system was activated on Saturday in Evpatoria, in western Crimea, according to the governor of the peninsula, Sergei Aksionov.

The incident “did not cause any damage or injuries”, he assured on Telegram.

Also on Saturday, Konstantin Ivashchenko, appointed by the pro-Russian forces mayor of the port city of Mariupol (south-eastern Ukraine), conquered by Russia after a siege of several months, was the victim of an assassination attempt, according to Russian news agencies.

An explosion occurred on the way to her car as she passed in front of the municipal zoo, the RIA Novosti news agency said citing a police source.

Mr. Ivashchenko “was not injured”, assured this source.

In the very first days of its offensive against Ukraine, Russia conquered part of southern Ukraine, notably the region of Kherson, located not far from the Crimea annexed in 2014.

In recent weeks, Ukrainian forces have returned to the offensive in the south to retake these lost territories and have had some success.