In its second early-morning assault in three days, Russia has fired a barrage of missiles towards Ukrainian cities.
A supply hub called Pavlohrad, close to the Ukrainian capital of Dnipro, was attacked before Ukraine’s eagerly expected counteroffensive.
The attack injured 34 individuals, started a large fire, and damaged dozens of homes.
A few hours later, Kyiv, the nation’s capital, was among the targets of an air raid alert.
The Ukrainian army claimed to have destroyed 15 of the 18 launched cruise missiles nationwide.
The city of Pavlohrad, which is in Ukrainian-controlled territory and is around 70 miles (110 km) from the frontline, sustained the most serious damage. Pictures shared on social media revealed a sizable fire.
According to one homeowner, Olha Lytvynenko, “both doors were smashed out by the explosion wave” as she was making ready to leave their home.
“When I rushed outside, I discovered that the garage was wrecked. Glass shards were all over, and everything was on fire. We would have been slaughtered if we had been outside, she claimed.
An industrial complex had been hit, according to the Dnipropetrovsk military administration of Ukraine, which called it a “tragic night and morning”.
Additionally, it stated that 19 high-rise apartment buildings, 25 private homes, 6 schools and kindergartens, and 5 shops had sustained damage.
In a post on Telegram with a thumbs-up, Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed official, said that the attack targeted gasoline stores and railway infrastructure.
The air raid alert went off in Kyiv hours later at around 4:00 local time (02:00 GMT) and lasted for about three hours.
All missiles and drones aimed at the capital, according to the military administration, were destroyed.
Russian bombardment was reported to have taken place 39 times in the Kherson region, which is still under Russia’s partial control.
The authorities claimed that one person was killed and that they originated from ground-based weapons, drones, and aircraft.
Attacks on locations away from the front lines have increased during the past few days in Ukraine. In Uman, a city in the centre of the country, 23 people died on Friday.
According to Ukraine, preparations are nearing completion for a long-awaited onslaught against Russian soldiers that will be aided by military hardware provided by the West.
In the meantime, Russia has strengthened its fortifications in occupied area and is getting ready for a push from Ukraine.
Cl Gen Mikhail Mizintsev, the Russian deputy defence minister who supervised armed forces logistics, has been fired as part of the most recent upheaval in the nation’s military hierarchy. He had only been appointed to the position in September.
There have long been accusations that front-line troops do not receive enough military supplies, and that food and clothes are in short supply.
A Ukrainian official said on Monday that the army has driven out some Russian troops from positions in the eastern city of Bakhmut, which has been under siege for months.
The commander of the ground forces, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, stated on Telegram that although the situation is still “quite difficult,” “the enemy is unable to take control of the city.”
