Ukrainian strike hits Russian-occupied Melitopol, knocks out power

Ukraine struck a railway depot and knocked out power deep behind the front line in the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol on Wednesday.

The strikes come as Kyiv has suggested it could soon mount a counterattack against Russian forces who have failed to secure any big victories in a months-long offensive that saw the bloodiest fighting of the war.

Melitopol is south of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, located on the Russian-controlled south bank of a huge reservoir that serves as the front line.

It serves as the base of the occupation administration in Zaporizhzhia, one of five Ukrainian provinces Russia claims to have annexed.

Ukraine’s exiled mayor of the city confirmed that there were explosions there.

Russia’s state TASS news agency, citing Moscow-installed officials, said a railway depot was destroyed and power knocked out to the city and nearby villages.

Melitopol, with a pre-war population of around 150,000, is a railway logisitics hub for Russian forces in southern Ukraine and part of the land bridge linking Russia to the occupied Crimea peninsula.

There was no public information about the weapons Ukraine could have used for the strike.

The city is at the far edge of the range of Ukraine’s HIMARS rockets but well within the range of newer weapons it is said to be deploying, including air-launched JDAM bombs and ground-launched GLSDB munitions promised by the United States.

Also Read: Ukraine War: Battle For Bakhmut ‘Stabilising

Ukrainian forces have stuck mainly to the defensive since their last big advance nearly five months ago.

In that time, Moscow has launched a huge winter assault using hundreds of thousands of reservists and tens of thousands of mercenaries recruited mainly as convicts from prison.

Flagging offensive

There are clear signs the Russian offensive is flagging. The average number of daily Russian attacks on the front line reported by Ukraine’s general staff has declined for four straight weeks since the start of March from 124 to 69.

The Russians have made no significant gains despite huge casualties on both sides, and Ukrainian and Western officials say they suspect the Russian attacking force will soon be spent.

British military intelligence said on Wednesday the Ukrainians had successfully pushed the Russians back from the main supply route.

Zainab Sa’id