Russian missile attack on western Ukraine

Russian missiles have landed in the Lviv region of western Ukraine. Several people were injured. In the east of the country, the Russian army is still advancing.

According to the regional governor, five people were injured in a Russian rocket attack on a railway line in the western Ukrainian region of Lviv. The target of the attack was the transport infrastructure in the Stryi district, the head of the military administration in the Lviv region, Maxym Kosytskyi, said on Telegram.

Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser at Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, said Russian troops struck the Beskyd railway tunnel in the Carpathian Mountains, apparently to cut a vital rail link and cut off shipments of arms and fuel.

However, the head of the Ukrainian railways said that damage to the railway line was still being examined. The tunnel itself was spared. The attack is said to have interrupted three passenger trains, but they were apparently able to continue the journey later. Weapons and other equipment needed to defend against Russian invading forces are entering Ukraine via the Lviv region.

Siegerodonetsk battle continues

In the east of Ukraine, meanwhile, Russian troops continued their gradual conquest of the city of Sievarodonetsk. They now control “80 percent of the city,” said regional governor Serhiy Gajdaj during the night.

Sieverodonetsk is the administrative center in the Ukrainian-controlled part of the Luhansk region. The city has been fighting for weeks. Should Russian troops capture the city, they would have complete control over the Luhansk region. The capture of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions is one of the goals set by Putin.

Russians have “operational advantage” in Luhansk

Ukrainian army chief Valeriy Zalushnyi said his soldiers in Luhansk were facing the “most difficult situation” at the moment. “The enemy has an operational advantage in terms of artillery,” he admitted in a phone call on Wednesday with his French colleague Thierry Burkhard, according to Kyiv.

He advocated converting his troops “as soon as possible” to NATO types of weapons. “That would save lives.” Ukraine is hoping for multiple rocket launchers recently promised by US President Joe Biden, which promise greater range and accuracy.

Recaptured localities in Kherson region

In contrast, in the occupied Cherson region in the south of the country, the Ukrainian military reported the recapture of 20 towns. About half of the population had fled from these villages, it said. The information could not be independently verified.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address that at least 243 children have been killed since the war began 99 days ago. In addition, at least 446 children were injured and 139 children were missing. “And those are just the ones we know about.” There is no information from the areas occupied by Russian troops.

Zelenskyj: Almost 260,000 children brought to Russia

According to Zelenskyj, almost 260,000 children from Ukraine were also brought to Russia. The children and young people were distributed all over Russia. Among them are children from Ukrainian orphanages, children abducted with their parents and those who have been separated from their families.

“The purpose of this criminal policy is not just to steal people, but to make the abductees forget about Ukraine and make it impossible for them to return,” Zelenskyy said. Ukraine will punish those responsible. First, however, Russia will be shown on the battlefield that “Ukraine cannot be conquered, that our people will not surrender and our children will not be the property of the occupiers.”