Day 432: Russia launches renewed major missile strikes on Ukraine

Russia launches another major missile strike on Ukraine, throws a guided bomb on a school in Chernihiv region, killing a child. Russian forces leave some positions outside Bakhmut.

Russia launches another major missile strike on Ukraine

Russia unleashed a major missile strike at Ukraine early Monday, firing rockets from the Caspian Sea and the Murmansk region. Eighteen Kh-101 and Kh-555 missiles were launched in total from two Tu-160 and nine Tu-95 bombers. Ukraine’s air defenses intercepted 15 of them. All missiles over Kyiv were shot down, as well as some drones. Their exact number has not been reported. There were no casualties.

Missiles hit several targets in and around the city of Pavlohrad in Dnipropetrovsk region, injuring 34 people, including five children. The strike damaged an industrial facility, 19 apartment buildings, 25 homes, schools and shops in Pavlohrad. The youngest child, a girl, wounded in the attack near Pavlohrad is eight years old. Two women, ages 45 and 55, are in intensive care. The rest of the wounded are being treated at home, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration, Serhiy Lysak said. 

“The injuries include contusions, fractures, lacerated wounds, cuts, concussions, and poisoning by combustion products,” he said, adding that “Russian bastards are again at war with civilians”. 

The attacks also damaged power distribution grid, leaving residents of Dnipro and throughout the region without power. In Kherson region, almost 20 thousand households were cut off from energy supply. In Zhytomyr region, a Russian missile hit near an industrial site.

Russia throws a guided bomb on school in Chernihiv region, killing a child

A Russian strike on a closed school in Chernihiv region in the afternoon on May 1 killed a child who was staying nearby. Reports of casualties are being clarified, head of the Chernihiv regional military administration Vyacheslav Chaus said on Telegram.

“The enemy continues to target civilian infrastructure. At around 15:37, an educational facility (that is not in operation) was struck in Novhorod-Siverskyi district,” he said. 

Russia threw two guided bombs from Su-35 fighter jets on the village of Lyzunivka, Operational Command North said in a Facebook post. A child born in 2009 was killed, and two other civilians were wounded. A closed school and private houses were damaged, the message said.

Russian forces leave some positions outside Bakhmut

Russian forces have conducted numerous attacks outside Bakhmut, trying to break through Ukrainian defenses in several directions. Yet they have failed to do so, Commander of Ukraine’s ground forces Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi said while visiting troops in the combat zone. Intense fighting is raging in the area. The Russians maximize their efforts to advance further and “do not count” their people, Syrskyi said. 

“[Russian forces] fail to take control of the city. The situation is quite difficult. At the same time, in certain parts of the city, the enemy was counterattacked by our units and left some positions,” he said.

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