The Ukrainian Air Force says it has shot down two Russian cruise missiles fired from the Black Sea, but more are expected.
“The enemy launched an attack with Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea. The missiles were allegedly launched from a Russian submarine,” he said, adding that the launch occurred around 1:00 p.m. local time on Wednesday (6:00 a.m. ET). ).
The missiles were shot down in the Vinnytsia region of central Ukraine, the Air Force said.
It also warned that Russian Tu-95MS strategic bombers were still in the air and that enemy planes were heading towards airspace over the Caspian Sea, from where cruise missiles are frequently launched at Ukraine.
1 hour ago
Ukrainian and Russian sources report an advance by Kyiv forces on the southern front
By Vasco Cotovio, Allegra Goodwin, Olga Voitovyc
Ukrainian and Russian sources reported an advance by Kyiv forces at Staromaiorske, along the Velyka Novosilka-Berdiansk axis on the southern front line.
Ukrainian special forces shared images of the village, saying they had captured paratroopers from Russia’s 247th Paratrooper Regiment, along with important documentation and intelligence. CNN was unable to independently verify the Ukrainian claim or geolocate the images.
However, another video from Staromaiorske, geotagged by CNN, shows Russian fighters abandoning positions and retreating, allegedly after being driven out by Ukrainian forces.
The two videos match the accounts of two well-connected Russian military bloggers who claim that Ukraine has been intensifying operations in the area. Russian blogger Rybar had reported that “the 36th Marine Corps of the Ukrainian Navy again attempted to attack the positions of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to the west of the village.”
Another insider, Batalyon Vostok, said the situation around the town “has gotten complicated.”
“In Staromayorskoye (Staromaiorske in Russian) and Urozhaynoye (Urozhaine in Russian) it is not easy for the boys now, they are repelling intensive attacks,” Vostok said. “The situation is very difficult in Staromayorskoye. There is a probability that the enemy will take control of the settlement.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Ukrainian forces said they were continuing to advance along the Velyka Novosilka-Berdiansk axis.
“Ukrainian troops were successful in the Staromaiorske area on the southern front,” spokesman for the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Andrii Kovalev said on Wednesday. “The [Ukrainian] Defense Forces are entrenched there at the reached limits [of the town].”
3 hours ago
Ukraine has wedged itself into Russia’s first line of defense, Russian official says
By Vasco Cotovio and Olga Voitovych
Ukrainian forces have been able to fit into Russia’s first line of defense, with intense and fierce fighting still ongoing amid a major offensive along the southern front in the Zaporizhia region, a Russian official has said.
“The enemy has used at least 100 armored vehicles to attack the Orekhov [Russian spelling of Orikhiv] section of the Zaporizhia (Russian spelling of Zaporizhia) front,” a member of the Russian-installed Zaporizhia military-civilian administration Vladimir Rogov said. wrote on Telegram this Wednesday.
“At the moment, as a result of several waves of attacks near Rabotino [the Russian spelling of Robotyne] with more than 100 armored vehicle units, including tanks, BMPs, APCs and AFVs, the enemy managed to fit into three sections of our first defense line.”
Rogov went on to say that the Russian forces were using their entire arsenal, including airstrikes, to push back the Ukrainian units that carried out the assault, which he claimed were equipped and trained by the West.
“The fighters in these brigades have been trained abroad, and the brigades themselves are equipped with Western military equipment, including Leopard and Bradley BMP tanks,” he wrote. “Now there are fierce, hard-fought, high-intensity battles in this area.”
Well-connected Russian military blogger Rybar says the fighting in the area has subsided slightly in intensity, adding that Russian forces have been able to hold their ground.
A bit of context: Russian-installed officials and military bloggers have claimed that Ukrainian forces have launched a major offensive in the Zaporizhia region south of Orikhiv as they appear to be cashing in on modest gains in the area over the past few days.
Ukrainian officials and sources have yet to comment on this alleged offensive.
3 hours ago
Zelensky expresses confidence in soldiers amid offensive drive
By Olga Voitovych Y Vasco
