Russian air attack in Kiev.. and Moscow strengthens its defenses at Zaporizhya station and advances in Bakhmut

Russia and Ukraine

Kiev was the target of a new Russian air attack, at dawn on Saturday, and the authorities reported that debris had fallen in three areas of the Ukrainian capital and a fire had broken out on the roof of a residential building.

And the mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, wrote on “Telegram” that there was “a fire on the roof of a nine-storey building in one of the residential complexes in the Dnipro region,” adding that there was no information about possible victims.

For his part, Sergei Popko, head of the civil and military administration in Kiev, said that the fire was caused by “falling debris,” calling on residents to take cover. Popko talked about the fall of more debris in several streets in the Darnitsky and Solomyansky regions, explaining that information about potential damage and losses is being verified.

And the Ukrainian army announced that drones were heading towards the Kiev region. The authorities reported explosions there, as well as in Chernigov (central north) and Mariupol (southeast). The military noted that air defense systems are active in the Kiev and Chernigov regions.

This comes as Reuters quoted four eyewitnesses as saying that in recent weeks Russian forces have strengthened their defensive positions in and around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, before an expected counterattack in the region.

Russian forces have had firing positions over some of the nuclear plant buildings for months. Nets were set up above it, in what is likely to be an obstacle to drones.

The actions described by two Ukrainian employees of the station and two other residents of the city of Innerhodar highlight the risks posed by the war to the security of the facility.

Warnings about the safety of the nuclear plant

For its part, the Russian company that operates the plant said that any possible military move from Ukraine constituted a threat to nuclear safety and that the plant’s equipment was undergoing maintenance as required.

For its part, the International Atomic Energy Agency says that the military presence and activity is increasing in the region, which highlights the need for urgent action. The agency has been warning for months of the danger of a major accident at the station.

Four diplomats told Reuters that the agency plans to bring to the United Nations Security Council an agreement between Russia and Ukraine later this month aimed at protecting the facility.

Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant

Wagner is about to take control of Bakhmut

In another context, Ukraine said on Friday that it had repulsed attacks by Russian forces in an attempt to regain lost lands around the devastated city of Bakhmut in the east of the country, where Kiev says it caused heavy losses among the Russians.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russia’s private military group Wagner, which is leading the assault on the city, said in a message on Telegram that “bloody and violent battles” were taking place and that his men were close to capturing Bakhmut itself.

As for the Ukrainian mortar unit, which is stationed near the city, it told Reuters that it advanced this week, but it is facing heavy fire from the Russian forces, who seem to have a large number of manpower and a large stock of ammunition. The unit’s forces said they fired about 100 mortars a day at Russian positions.

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hana Malyar said that the Russian forces made some gains inside the city itself in fierce fighting, but did not control it.

And she explained in a message on Telegram: “Fierce battles are continuing in the Bakhmut region. The enemy cannot win with quality, so he is trying with your mind.” She said that Russia had increased the number of its forces and the quantities of ammunition.

“The rate of progress of our forces in the outskirts of Bakhmut today has decreased to some extent. At the same time, the enemy cannot regain the positions it lost. Our soldiers are repelling all enemy attacks in this area,” she added.

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