Zelensky sacks eastern Ukraine military commander, Moscow accuses Kiev of attacking Zaparugya nuclear plant
Violent explosions have shaken several areas in Odessa, Mikulaev (South), Kharkiv and Donetsk (East). While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fired a prominent military commander in eastern Ukraine, Moscow accused Kyiv of attacking the Zaparugya nuclear plant.
According to the Al Jazeera correspondent, explosions shook the countryside of Odessa province in southern Ukraine, and the Ukrainian army was quoted as declaring that its air defences had shot down a Russian missile and drones over the western region of “Ismail”.
In Mikolaev, Mayor Oleksandr Sinkevich said that Russian forces had rocketed the port’s infrastructure.
In Kharkiv (North-East), the island’s correspondent reported that the Choigov area had been hit by rocket fire targeting 3 different locations and that one rocket had hit the cultural centre.
Ukraine’s Supreme Staff said 8 towns in the province had been hit by rocket and artillery shelling.
In Donetsk province, the city of Kramatorsk and surrounding towns were subjected to heavy Russian bombardment.
The Al Jazeera correspondent confirmed that one of the rockets landed on a house in the city without exploding, while the Ukrainian authorities did not announce any deaths in the attacks.
Ukrainian bombing
In contrast, pro-Russian separatists said Ukrainian forces bombed the city of Krasny Loach, Lugansk province, in the Donbass province with American Himars missiles.
A statement by the separatists confirmed that the shelling had destroyed a hotel in the city and injured one person, stating that 3 rockets of the 6 had landed on the city and had not exploded.
On Tuesday, Russian news agency TASS reported that a major fire broke out at an oil depot in the Podyonovsky region of the Russian-backed separatist “Donetsk People’s Republic” in eastern Ukraine, after Ukrainian forces bombed the area.
The agency added that no deaths or injuries had been reported as a result of the fire.
