Russia bombs a city in Ukraine after meeting between Putin and generals

A Russian missile attack on the center of Chernihivcity of northern Ukrainecaused at least seven deaths and dozens of injuries, hours after the Russian president, Vladimir Putinmeet with high commands of his army.

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“A Russian missile hit right in the center of the city, in our Chernihiv”, wrote the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky.

The attack killed at least seven people and “90 injured requested medical assistance”explained the Ukrainian Interior Minister, Igor Klimenkowho specified that “25 people were hospitalized.”

“A square, the polytechnic university and a theater. An ordinary Saturday that Russia turned into a day of pain and loss. There are dead, there are wounded.”lamented Zelensky, who traveled this weekend to Sweden.

A police officer inspects the site of a missile attack in the center of Chernihiv, on August 19, 2023. (Photo by Anatolii STEPANOV / AFP) (ANATOLII STEPANOV /)

“The enemy bombarded the center of Chernihiv. A priori, it was a ballistic missile”, wrote on Telegram the head of the region of Chernihivlocated about 150 kilometers north of kyiv and close to the border with belarusan ally of Russia.

AFP reporters saw fire trucks next to the theater Taras Shevchenkowhich was damaged.

The Russian army had invaded this city at the beginning of the war, which began at the end of February 2022. But it withdrew from it a few weeks later and since the spring of last year the fighting has been concentrated in the east and south of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian counteroffensivestarted in June, progresses slowly, despite some “victories” claimed this week by kyiv.

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Putin’s meeting with top officials

The bombing took place after putin meet with commanders of his army in rostov-on-donnear the border with Ukrainethe Kremlin said.

The Russian presidency did not specify when that meeting took place, although images released by state media suggest that it took place on Friday night.

The agency RIA Novosti posted a video of the Russian president, dressed in a suit, getting out of a jeep in the dark and greeted by the head of the Mayor state, Valeri Gerasimovin military attire, with a handshake.

rostov-on-donoperational center of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, was the scene of the rebellion of the group of mercenaries at the end of June Wagnerwhich briefly took over the headquarters of that town.

Since then, the general Gerasimovmuch criticized for Yevgeny PrigozhinWagner’s boss, had hardly been seen in public.

The displacements of putin near the war front are unusual.

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15 Russian drones shot down

Ukrainian forces also announced that they had destroyed “15 drones” Russians overnight from Friday to Saturday.

So much Russia as Ukraine They often carry out drone attacks against military objectivesbut also civilians.

Russian troops “they attacked from the north” with 17 drones shahedof Iranian manufacture, indicated in Telegram the Ukrainian army, which did not specify what happened to the other two devices.

Moscow intensified its attacks on Ukrainian port infrastructure in the Black Sea and the Danube riversince it withdrew from the agreement to export grains reached a year ago.

A missile attack in the center of Chernihiv, on August 19, 2023. (Photo by Anatolii STEPANOV / AFP) (ANATOLII STEPANOV /)

For its part, the Russian army claimed to have thwarted a Ukrainian missile attack on the peninsula of crimeain it Black Seaannexed by Moscow in 2014.

He also claimed to have prevented a Ukrainian drone attack on a military airfield in the region of Novgorodin the northwest of Russiafar from the border with Ukraine.

In addition, he claimed to have “removed” about 150 Ukrainian soldiers trying to cross the river dnieperfront line in the south of the Ukrainian territory, where the forces of kyiv they tried to penetrate the Russian defenses.

Source: Elcomercio