The Russian military continues to strike Ukrainian military positions and infrastructure as part of its operation aimed at liberating the Donbas region, while Kyiv continues to receive financial and military support from Western powers. In the latest developments, the mayor of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv reported four explosions occurred in the city this morning, adding that ambulance crews were dispatched to the Shinkivsky area surrounding Kyiv, and more detailed information will be made available later, as "evacuation and rescue operations are ongoing from two buildings."
The sounds of four explosions were heard early in the morning in the Ukrainian capital, injuring a residential complex near the city center, leading to a fire and the emission of a large cloud of gray smoke. This historic area includes a series of universities, restaurants, and art galleries. Information on potential casualties was not immediately available. It is worth noting that Kyiv had not experienced shelling in nearly two months.
Prior to that, Russian media reported that President Putin went to the Kremlin at night for what was described as an "important" meeting. The leader of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, announced the liberation of 800 civilians who were being used as human shields by Ukrainian armed formations at the "Azot" plant in Severodonetsk, Luhansk.
Additionally, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the Luhansk Republic forces, supported by the Russian military, had fully liberated the cities of Severodonetsk and Borovskoye from Ukrainian armed formations. The ministry stated in a statement that the industrial territory of the "Azot" plant in Severodonetsk is now under the control of Luhansk forces after the Russian army thwarted attempts by Ukrainian armed formations to turn this territory into a hotbed of conflict.
The ministry indicated that the towns of Voronovo and Serebryanka had been liberated, which means Luhansk forces have established control over all areas adjacent to the banks of the Severetsky Donets River on the Luhansk side. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that his country would reclaim all cities that Moscow was able to seize, including Severodonetsk.
In a video address late Saturday night, Zelensky stated that Ukraine had come under fire from 45 Russian missiles in the past 24 hours, describing this as an attempt to break the morale of his people, according to Reuters.
