About the explosion and fire in Odessa, the press secretary of the Odessa regional military administration Sergey Bratchuk and the Ukrainian state television company Suspilne reported on their Telegram channel. An air raid warning was also issued in other parts of the country, including Kherson and the capital Kiev, Ukrainian journalists reported.
Ukrainian First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova tweeted that Ukrainian troops shot down 35 Iranian-made Shahed drones, but debris hit residential buildings in Kiev and injured five people.
Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported on Telegram that three people were injured in blasts in Kiev’s Solomensky district and two in Svyatoshinsky district, both west of the capital’s center.
Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukrainian ground forces commander, said Russian troops have stepped up their bombardment of the town of Bakhmut with heavy weapons, started using more modern weapons and are regrouping their troops.
“Today it is important to make decisions and predict enemy actions as soon as possible,” Syrsky said on his Telegram channel after visiting, he said, troops in the Bakhmut region. “Russian troops still hope to capture the city by May 9. Our task is to prevent this.
Reuters noted that it could not independently confirm the accuracy of current developer reports.
The battle for a city that once had a population of 70,000 has symbolic significance for both sides. Ukraine still holds parts of the city after more than 10 months of heavy fighting against Russian regular troops and Wagner PMC mercenaries.
Moscow sees Bakhmut as a point to develop an offensive against other Ukrainian cities. Kyiv has previously said that by defending Bakhmut, it gives its army the opportunity to prepare for a counter-offensive.
On Sunday, May 7, Russia’s PMC Wagner may have abandoned plans to withdraw troops from Bakhmut, saying Moscow had promised to supply units with more weapons.
On Tuesday, May 9, Russia celebrates Victory Day, a holiday that commemorates the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany.
In Ukraine, on the initiative of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, memorable dates have been set: May 8 is the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism, May 9 is Europe Day. Zelenskyy said that on May 9, Ukraine will celebrate the support Europe has given it since Russia annexed Crimea (in 2014) and after Russian forces launched a full-scale invasion. last year (February 2022).
“It will be Europe Day, which helps us to fight on all fronts: on the battlefield with arms and on the diplomatic front – with determination, against the terror of missiles and the winter blackout, in economics and in the legal field,” Zelenskyy said. said. “It will be Europe Day – the day of our allies who harbor Ukrainian women and children who do not encroach on our sovereignty or question our right to choose our own national course.”
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