Early Sunday, Russian drones launched an attack on the city of Mykolaiv in the Black Sea region, causing a hotel to catch fire and inflicting damage on energy infrastructure, according to the governor of the local Ukrainian province. Meanwhile, Kyiv's forces continue to face ammunition shortages in the ongoing conflict, now spanning over two years.
Vitaliy Kim, governor of Mykolaiv province in southern Ukraine, stated that the Russian drones inflicted serious damage on a hotel in the city, resulting in a fire that was later extinguished. Additionally, Kim reported that the strike caused damage to heat-generating infrastructure in the area, although specifics were not provided. Fortunately, there were no casualties reported.
According to Russian state agency RIA, the strike on Mykolaiv was purportedly aimed at a shipyard where naval drones are manufactured, as well as a hotel housing individuals described as "English-speaking mercenaries" supporting Kyiv. However, the veracity of these claims, attributed to Sergei Lebedev, a coordinator of local pro-Moscow guerrillas, could not be independently verified.
Simultaneously, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that 17 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight across four regions in the southwestern part of Ukraine. Three drones were intercepted near an oil depot in Lyudinovo, an industrial town approximately 230 kilometers (143 miles) north of the Ukrainian border, according to Governor Vladislav Shapsha. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Ukrainian officials reported that Russian shelling on Saturday and overnight resulted in at least seven civilians being wounded across Ukraine.
Recent weeks have witnessed intense clashes in the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions as Russian forces strive to make territorial gains along the extensive front line exceeding 1,000 kilometers (620 miles). At the same time, ammunition shortages are increasingly impeding Ukraine's defensive capabilities.
A Washington-based think tank suggested that Russian troops are poised to make significant gains in the coming weeks while Kyiv awaits the delivery of much-needed arms from a substantial U.S. aid package. The Institute for the Study of War highlighted Moscow's potential to advance around Avdiivka, the eastern city captured by Russian forces in late February, and to threaten nearby Chasiv Yar. The capture of the latter would grant Russia control over a strategic hilltop, facilitating attacks on other key cities crucial to Ukraine's eastern defenses. However, the institute assessed that these efforts by Moscow are unlikely to cause the collapse of Kyiv's defensive lines.
On Wednesday, U.S. President Joe Biden announced the immediate dispatch of essential weaponry to Ukraine as he signed into law a $95 billion war aid package, which also included assistance for Israel, Taiwan, and other global conflict zones. This decision marked the conclusion of a protracted debate with Republicans in Congress over urgently needed aid for Ukraine, with Biden assuring that U.S. weapon shipments would commence within hours.
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