Vladimir Putin bombed a key bridge in the Ukrainian frontline city of Kherson as he defies Donald Trump and seeks major new territorial gains in the war.
Footage shows Russia using two guided bombs to destroy a vital road crossing on the Dnipro River – severing a main artery to the Korabel district of the city.
The bold move forced the district to be evacuated, in a significant blow to Ukraine.
It was yet another strike on its civilian infrastructure by Putin, who is seeking to control the entire Kherson region as a war aim.
Three private homes and a high-rise residential building were also damaged in the strike which took place at 6pm local time on Saturday, officials said. A local resident was injured in the attack, according to local reports.
But Ukraine has hit back at Putin with a major strike on a military-linked oil depot in Sochi, Russia’s Black Sea resort city where Putin is rebuilding one of his palaces.
Some 30 huge explosions led to a massive inferno at the facility close to the main airport, which is often used by the Russian dictator.
The Lyutyi long range drones led to major disruption at the airport with more than 50 tourist planes diverted or delayed, and waiting passengers evacuated to an underground bomb shelter.
Footage shows the moment Russia used two guided bombs to destroy a bridge in the Ukrainian frontline city of Kherson
The Russian attack exploded the vital road crossing of the Dnipro River – severing a main artery to the Korabel district of the city
The bold strike forced the district to be evacuated, which is a significant blow to Ukraine
Ukraine hit back at Putin with a major strike on a military-linked oil depot in Sochi, Russia’s Black Sea resort city where Putin is rebuilding one of his palaces
A Russian propagandist Valeria Yaronovetskaya caught in the chaos complained: ‘It seems I won’t be flying anywhere…Drone attack.
‘It even seems like it’s right on the airport. Air defence is working. The noise is so loud that the windows are shaking…’
She said: ‘Everyone is evacuated to the basement floor. There’s nowhere to sit here.
‘And I’m thirsty… I didn’t buy any water before going through the screening. And now I’m suffering…’
The strike was on a depot with a 76,000 cubic feet capacity, and a major fire-fighting operation was underway to stop the blaze spreading.
More than 120 firefighters were trying to extinguish the fire, regional Russian Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on Sunday on the Telegram messaging app.
These attacks are the latest trading of blows between Russia and Ukraine as each nation looks to focus on targeting the other’s infrastructure.
The war has increasingly become a gruelling battle of attrition since Russia’s failed full-scale invasion of its smaller neighbour in February 2022.
Each side now launches regular drone attacks into the other’s territory. Both sides deny targeting civilians in their strikes.
Russian propagandist Valeria Yaronovetskaya caught up in the chaos at Sochi complained: ‘It seems I won’t be flying anywhere…Drone attack’
The Russian army bombs in Kherson caused damage to a gas pipeline, while residents urged to evacuate
The bridge attack caused a fire to break out at three private houses and one apartment building
A Ukrainian local resident was injured after the attack, according to the reports
The Ukrainian fire emergency workers attended the scene of the bridge attack in Kherson
Kyiv says that its attacks inside Russia are aimed at destroying infrastructure key to Moscow’s war efforts and are in response to Russia’s relentless strikes on Ukraine.
This morning, the Russian defence ministry said in its daily report on Telegram that its air defence units destroyed 93 Ukrainian drones overnight, including one over the Krasnodar region and 60 over the waters of the Black Sea.
The ministry reports only how many drones its units destroy, not how many Ukraine launched.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia fired 83 drones or 76 drones and seven missiles overnight, 61 of which were shot down. It added that 16 drones and six missiles struck targets in eight locations.
The surge in fighting in the war came with reports of blasts and smoke close to the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in occupied Ukraine.
This led to a warning from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the combatants to halt strikes close to Europe’s largest nuclear plant.
‘Any attack in the vicinity of a nuclear power plant – regardless of the intended target – poses potential risks also for nuclear safety and must be avoided,’ said director-general Rafael Grossi.
‘Once again, I call for maximum military restraint near nuclear facilities to prevent the continued risk of a nuclear accident.’
Meanwhile Ukraine hit Russian city Voronezh region in a drone strike, leading to four wounded in a residential complex, and also sent military drones to Nizhny Novgorod and Leningrad region, disrupting air traffic in St Petersburg.
And seven were injured in a Russian missile strike hitting private homes in Mykolaiv.
In overnight strikes, Russia used seven missiles and 73 drones to batter the city, according to the Ukrainian defence ministry.
In the Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, seven were injured in a Russian missile strike hitting private homes
In overnight strikes, Russia used seven missiles and 73 drones to batter the city, according to the Ukrainian defence ministry
Two of the injured were hospitalised as a result of the late Saturday attack, Mykolaiv Governor Vitaliy Kim said on the Telegram messaging app
The Mykolaiv Governor said 23 private homes, 12 apartment buildings and a post office were damaged
Even after Russian forces were pushed back in late 2022, drones and missiles have remained a constant danger to communities in Mykolaiv
Ambulance and fire service attending the attack in Mykolaiv, Ukraine
Two of the injured were hospitalised as a result of the late Saturday attack, Mykolaiv Governor Vitaliy Kim said on the Telegram messaging app.
Kim posted photos showing single residential buildings almost destroyed, with building debris spread around. He said 23 private homes, 12 apartment buildings and a post office were damaged.
In the early days of the war, the Mykolaiv region stood on the front lines, facing frequent artillery strikes and aerial attacks.
Even after Russian forces were pushed back in late 2022, drones and missiles have remained a constant danger to communities.
Russia also launched a short-lived missile attack on Kyiv overnight, but there were no reports of injuries or damage.
The weekend’s fighting comes after a particularly deadly week for civilians in Ukraine, including an attack on Kyiv on Thursday that killed at least 31 people.
It included than 300 drones and eight cruise missiles, Ukrainian officials said, making the attack one of the deadliest on the capital since the war began.
The latest bloodshed comes as peace talks in the long-running war continue to flounder.
Trump said in July that Putin had 50 days to engage with a ceasefire and peace talks, or Russia would face severe tariffs targeting its oil and other exports.
On Monday, he set a new ’10 or 12′ day deadline. The American president then later set a new deadline, which would expire on August 8.
On Friday, Trump sent two nuclear submarines ‘closer to Russia’ after accusing the Kremlin of threatening war with the US
The US has a total of 14 Ohio Class nuclear-powered submarines, each capable of carrying up to 24 Trident II D5 ballistic missiles that can deliver multiple thermonuclear warheads up to 4,600 miles
Between eight and 10 Ohio Class submarines are deployed at any one time, according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative arms control group
‘All disappointments come from inflated expectations,’ said Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday in response to Trump’s expedited deadline issued on Monday
The Kremlin dictator has shown no indication he will stop his attempted invasion of Ukraine – or his terror strikes on civilians – despite the threat of major new sanctions on this country, and others trading oil with Russia.
On Friday, Trump sent two nuclear submarines ‘closer to Russia’ after accusing the Kremlin of threatening war with the US.
The US commander-in-chief announced that he had ordered the deployment of a pair of U.S. nuclear submarines amid escalating threats and rhetoric with a top Russian official over his deadline to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The new move of the nuclear submarines to ‘appropriate regions’ appears mostly symbolic – the US already has a fleet of dozens of nuclear-powered subs that are constantly ready to strike in the event of a conflict.
Nevertheless, it notches up the tensions once again after Trump announced he was moving up his ultimatum for Russia to agree to end the war.
Trump told reporters on Friday: ”We had to do that. We just have to be careful. And a threat was made and we didn’t think it was appropriate. So I have to be very careful.
‘A threat was made by a former president of Russia, and we’re going to protect our people.’
