Earlier in the day, reports said Russian forces had abducted the Mayor of a city after he refused to “cooperate”.
New Delhi: A day after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the war with Russia had reached a “strategic turning point”, evoking positive feelings, reports of sirens going off across Ukrainian cities trickled in from early Saturday morning.
According to The Kyiv Independent, “The airfield in Vasylkiv, Kyiv Oblast, was attacked by Russian forces with 8 missiles, said mayor Nataliia Balasynovych. The local oil depot has also been destroyed, while an ammunition depot caught fire.”
Reports of Russian forces abducting the Mayor of Melitopol also came in. Sources said he was taken away by 10 Russian soldiers when he did not “cooperate”. A purported video of the incident is also doing its rounds on social media.
According to reports on ground, Russian forces are seen regrouping, probably for a fresh round of assault. This comes after there were reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin has sacked as many as eight Army generals and is said to be angry about the military losses in Kyiv.
The situation is also grim in Mariupol which is presently under constant shelling from the Russian forces. As many as 1,200 citizens have died said the Mayor of the city and the Russians are constantly shelling the city every half an hour.
Meanwhile, The Kyiv Independent reported, “Several fires in Kyiv Oblast after Russian attacks overnight. An oil depot is on fire in Vasylkiv, 36 km south of Kyiv, and another was hit in the village of Kryachky. In the village of Kvitneve, a warehouse for frozen food products is on fire after Russian shelling.”
International media had reported Ukraine’s security council chief Oleksiy Danilov as saying, “New ones (generals) have been appointed. We clearly understand what is happening in the Russian Federation. I can tell they’re desperate.”
Meanwhile, US president Joe Biden warned that if the NATO goes for a direct clash with Russia, there might be a third world war. Although the US is sending supplies to Ukraine, Biden has made it clear that US forces will not fight in Ukraine.
“We will not fight a war against Russia in Ukraine. Direct confrontation between NATO and Russia is World War III, something we must strive to prevent,” he said.