Mykolaiv: In response to pressure from the south of Ukraine, Russia launched drones and missiles on Sunday into Ukrainian-held Mykolaiv, damaging an apartment building in the city’s shipbuilding sector close to the front, and declaring that the war was heading into “uncontrolled escalation.”
Mykolaiv is located around 35 kilometres (22 miles) northwest of the front line leading to seized Kherson, in which Russia has ordered 60,000 residents to escape in order “to save your life.”
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke with his counterparts in France, Britain, and Turkey over the “rapidly deteriorating situation,” according to the ministry. Shoigu has been criticised by some Russian nationalists for Moscow’s defeats following the invasion on February 24.
For the second time in three days, he also spoke on the phone with Lloyd Austin, the U.S. Defense Secretary. According to the summary of the phone provided by the Pentagon, Austin informed Shoigu that he “rejected any excuse for Russian aggression.”
Shoigu asserted that Ukraine may use a “dirty bomb”—conventional explosives loaded with radioactive material—to worsen the situation without offering any supporting data. While Russia has stated that it could defend Russian territory with its nuclear arsenal, Ukraine does not.
Dmytro Kuleba, the foreign minister of Ukraine, dismissed the claim as “absurd” and “destructive.” “Russians frequently accuse others of what they intend themselves,” he continued.
The White House National Security Council also refuted Shoigu’s claims. The world “would see through any attempt to use this assertion as a pretext for escalation,” the Council claimed in a statement.
Various Means of Communication
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, stated in his nightly video message that only Russia was capable of unleashing nuclear weapons in Europe, and Shoigu’s “telephone carousel” made this plain.
Everyone fully comprehends, Zelenskiy stated. They are aware of the source of all the heinous acts committed throughout this conflict.
The top story of an apartment building in Mykolaiv was destroyed by a Russian missile attack on Sunday, shattering windows and fracturing walls as it sent shrapnel and rubble over a square and into other buildings. Reuters saw cars buried by debris and crushed. There were no deaths reported.
“After the first explosion, I tried to leave, but the door was stuck. A second thunderous boom occurred a few minutes later. The wind blew our door into the hallway, “Oleksandr Mezinov, 50, who was awakened by the explosions from his bed, stated.
Russian “kamikaze” drones were shot down by Ukraine over Mykolaiv overnight, regional governor Vitaliy Kim said on Telegram. This month, the drones, which are engineered to blow up upon hit, have pounded Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Ukraine claims that Russia has employed attack drones produced in Iran, the Shahed-136. Tehran disputes that it gave the drones to Moscow, which Washington claims is incorrect.
Kim said that Russia launched S-300 missile attacks as well, one of which struck the five-story residential complex.
Russian missile and drone assaults on civilian infrastructure have increased in response to Ukrainian gains in recent weeks near Kherson and in the country’s northeast, destroying roughly 40% of Ukraine’s power grid just before of winter.
Prior to an anticipated fight for Kherson, the regional capital on the west bank of the Dnipro river, Russian forces have withdrew from portions of the front in recent weeks, and occupation authorities are transferring inhabitants farther into Russian-held territory. The entrance to Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, lies near Kherson.
“The current circumstance is challenging. Lifesaving measures must be taken, “Sergei Kravtsov, the minister of education for Russia, stated in a video message. “It won’t last much longer. You’ll surely come back, “Added he.
