Five Russian rockets fell on Friday evening in the regional capital of Zaporizhia, which is about 45 kilometers from the nuclear power plant as the crow flies. The infrastructure buildings were destroyed, said Governor Olexander Staruch. A fire had broken out. At least one woman was injured and more information about victims is expected. The sixth largest city in Ukraine is in Ukrainian hands. However, the southern part of the Zaporizhia region is occupied by the Russians.
According to the authorities, the city of Kramatorsk in the Donbass was also shelled on Friday evening. At least two civilians were killed and 13 injured. The Donbass continued to be the main battlefield. At the same time, the Ukrainian general staff acknowledged that Russian territory had been gained near Horliwka.
In Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov also reports Russian shelling. Two residential buildings, buses and a university were damaged during the night, he said on Telegram. So far, however, mainly windows have been broken, there are no injuries. “Where Russian missiles hit, there is nothing that even remotely resembles military objects,” Terekhov emphasizes.
According to the Ukrainian army, the last functioning bridge near the hydroelectric power station in Kakhovka has been destroyed. The city is located in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson. The Russian armed forces used them primarily to transport military equipment. This is now becoming almost impossible for Putin’s troops there.
Given the ongoing logistical problems that have plagued Putin’s troops for months, this is the next major blow to the Russian army.
According to Ukrainian information, Russian troops are using a hospital site in the occupied city of Melitopol as a military base. The base in the city center was set up on Friday, Mayor Igor Fedorov said on Telegram.
Melitopol is the second largest city in the Zaporizhia Oblast and is located not far from the annexed Crimea peninsula in southern Ukraine. According to Russian ideas, a referendum on accession to Russia should be carried out in the occupied area in the near future. Several attacks on Russian facilities in the city have recently been reported.
Russia’s direct neighbors have called for travel restrictions on Russians. Estonia and Latvia in the Baltic States have already tightened entry rules, and Finland is also considering doing so. Germany and the EU Commission in Brussels reject a fundamental freeze on tourist visas for Russians.
“Europe has banned air travel from Russia to Europe. This means that the only way Russians can get to Europe is through only three countries – Finland, Estonia and Latvia,” said Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas. “So it’s not really fair that all other Schengen countries issue these visas, but the three of us actually bear the burden.” Kallas referred to the violent reactions in Moscow to the visa discussion. This shows that an entry ban can be an effective sanctions instrument.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that after everything the Russian occupation has done in Ukraine, there can only be one attitude towards Russia and that is to consider it a terrorist state. “The attitude towards the citizens of Russia should also be determined from this point of view.” For Russians who really need protection, there are tried and tested legal mechanisms such as asylum. But that has nothing to do with holiday or business trips to the EU.
This will be important on Saturday:
Grain exports from Ukraine are gaining momentum. As part of an internationally brokered grain export agreement, 14 ships with more than 430,000 tons of cargo have left Ukrainian Black Sea ports since August 1. Two ships have been announced for Saturday.
