After being pushed back by the Ukrainian troops for the better part of the last few weeks, Russia is gearing up for a comeback. Reportedly, Moscow on Sunday bombarded missiles and drones in the southern Ukrainian municipality of Mykolaiv, per a report by Reuters, destroying numerous apartment blocks in the process.
“After the first blast, I tried to get out, but the door was stuck. After a minute or two, there was a second loud blast. Our door was blown into the corridor,” a local was quoted as saying by the publication.
Kremlin simultaneously issued a statement saying the war was heading towards an ‘uncontrolled escalation’. According to the Russian defence ministry, Sergei Shoigu, the defence minister spoke to his French, British and Turkish counterparts and discussed the ‘rapidly deteriorating situation’.
Shoigu said Ukraine could escalate the situation with a “dirty bomb,” a type of “radiological dispersal device” that combines a conventional explosive, such as dynamite, with radioactive material.
Ukraine, meanwhile said it shot down 14 Russian ‘kamikaze’ drones that were fired in the city’s direction.
“Everyone understands full well. They understand who is the source of all the dirty things imaginable in this war.” said President Volodymyr Zelensky in his nightly message.
The pounding of missiles, especially in the southern part of Ukraine comes in the backdrop of Russia evacuating its civilians from the Moscow-controlled region of Kherson in southern Ukraine.
As reported by WION, Russian news agencies stated last week that an organised movement of civilians had started.
“In Kherson, the organised movement of residents to the other side of the Dnieper has begun,” said local media reports
Russia’s military commander for Ukraine operations admitted last Tuesday that the situation in the Kherson regions is “difficult” and Russian forces were planning a “safe evacuation”.
Read more: Kremlin-installed officials begin evacuating civilians from Kherson region of Ukraine
However, this is not the first time that Russia has resorted to missile attacks on Ukraine. After the Kerch bridge was destroyed connecting Russia with Crimea, Putin’s troops pounded Ukrainian cities with indiscriminate missiles.
Such was the situation that Zelensky was forced to plead with the international community for days, requesting the quick delivery of air defence systems.
Read more: France to deliver air-defence systems to Ukraine in the coming weeks: Macron
(With inputs from agencies)
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