Ukraine war: Putin’s forces attack Luhansk and Donetsk, 1.5 million without power after Russian strikes
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russian forces for destroying Bakhmut, a front-line city in eastern Ukraine targeted by Russia for months
- Zelensky also said more than 1.5 million people in the Odesa region lost power after Russian strikes with Iranian-made drones
Russian forces are attacking positions in Luhansk and Donetsk, according to the Defence Ministry in Moscow, with a spokesperson saying on Saturday that soldiers had taken positions near two towns.
“In the Donetsk area, Russian units have continued their attacks and driven the enemy out of their fortified positions,” ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov said. He claimed positions had also been captured in the north between the small towns of Kreminna and Lyman.
However, Ukrainian missiles damaged a bus station and a school in the eastern city of Donetsk, according to Russian officials cited by the TASS news agency.
The Russian officials reported multiple missile strikes. There were no reports of victims.
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For weeks, there have been reports that the Ukrainian army is on the defensive in Donetsk, and is trying to hold its line in front of the industrial city of Donetsk and east of the urban area between Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
There is fierce fighting in the area, particularly near the town of Bakhmut, with both sides reporting significant losses.