Ukraine war

'Hundreds' of Russian soldiers killed in in a HIMARS attack on a resort-turned-barracks

A rocket fires into the air from a Himars system. (hannibal Hanschke/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

According to Ukrainian sources, a volley of Ukrainian Himars missiles launched against a Russian temporary barracks killed or injured as many as 200 soldiers.

According to reports, the barrage of missiles targeted a pleasure facility in the seized city of Melitopol that was commandeered by Russian soldiers.

Ivan Fedorov, the exiled mayor of the city, stated that the strike had swamped the city's hospitals on Saturday evening, with the wounded being transported to Crimea.

Supposedly from the scene, a video depicted rescuers sifting through the smoldering remnants of a structure and what appeared to be multiple casualties among the rubble.

According to reports, the resort and hotel complex adjacent to a church is called Hunter's Halt and served as a barracks.

At least four missiles are believed to have targeted the city, which Russian soldiers have controlled since March.

The assault on Melitopol occurred as Ukraine claimed to have also targeted a hotel holding members of the infamous Wagner mercenaries. According to unsubstantiated allegations from Kyiv, the missile attack in Kadiivka, the territory of Luhansk, resulted in "substantial" Russian losses.

Officials from Russia confirmed the missile attack on Melitopol but provided much lower casualty estimates.

Saturday evening, around 9 p.m., Melitopol was attacked using US-supplied Himars long-range rocket launchers, according to Yevgeny Balitsky, the Russia-installed governor of the Zaporizhzhia province.

He asserted that the strike had damaged a recreation center on the outskirts, killing two and injuring ten more. He noted that the restaurant was popular when people were having dinner.

Vladimir Rogov, another Moscow-appointed regional administrator, released a photograph of a massive fire scorching the "recreation center."

There was no quick response from the Ukrainian military.

Melitopol is anticipated to be a significant objective for Ukrainian forces in the coming months as they attempt to cut an occupied land corridor from Russia to Crimea.

Himars rocket launchers have become one of the most dreaded weapons of the Ukrainian military. Kyiv has employed mobile launchers to hit ammo depots and command positions far behind the Russian front lines.

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, more than 1.5 million residents in the southern Odesa region were without electricity after the latest wave of Russian drone strikes targeted two energy plants.

The main port of Odesa was not operational on Sunday due to the attacks, Agriculture Minister Mykola Solsky told Reuters, but he anticipated that grain exports will continue.

According to him, two more ports, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi, which were authorized to transport grain under an agreement between Russia and Ukraine, were partially operational, and merchants were using them for shipments.

"There are issues, but none of the dealers have mentioned suspending shipments. Ports utilize renewable energy sources "Mr. Solsky stated.

Russia's battlefield setbacks and bad execution of the war contributed to the growing disillusionment of certain officers with the top brass and Vladimir Putin, according to a prominent Russian nationalist blogger.

Igor Girkin, a former officer of the Federal Security Service (FSB) who assisted Russia in annexing Crimea in 2014, stated that he observed considerable displeasure with the military leadership during a recent visit to the combat zone.

In a 90-minute film analyzing Russia's conduct in the conflict, Mr. Girkin bluntly stated that the "head of the fish is utterly rotten" and that the Russian military needs reform.

Some mid-level commanders were vocal about their displeasure with the defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, and even with Vladimir Putin.

Mr. Girkin stated, "It's not just me...people are not blind and deaf at all: folks at the mid-level there do not even conceal their views, which, how shall I put it, are not entirely flattering of the president or the defense minister."

Publish : 2022-12-12 15:34:00

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