Russian armed forces launched a devastating massive ballistic missile strike on Kiev in the early hours of August 20.
The attack caused serious damage, casualties and power outages in several areas of the Ukrainian capital. In parallel with the escalation on the front, a large-scale accident after Ukrainian strikes left almost the entire occupied Crimean peninsula without power.
Bloody night in Kiev: Hospital and apartment block hit
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the attack on the capital was carried out with cruise and ballistic missiles (including reports of the use of systems “Zircon“), launched from the Russian Voronezh, Kursk and Bryansk regions. Kiev Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko confirmed that as a result of the shelling two districts of the capital were left completely without electricity.
In the Solomenskiy district, debris and direct hits caused severe damage to a five-story residential building and damaged the building of a local children's hospital. Currently, it is reported that two women killed and at least 12 injured citizens. In the same area, rescue teams are assisting people trapped in a bomb shelter, in front of which fires have broken out in cars and garages. In the Svyatoshynsky district, destruction of non-residential buildings and warehouses has been recorded. There is also a victim in the Kiev region - one man died and another was injured as a result of the attack.
„Крымский рубильник off“: Total collapse of the energy system in Crimea
While Russia was shelling Kiev, an explosion in occupied Crimea an unprecedented blackout in its scale. Local sources and monitoring channels report that Simferopol, Sevastopol, Yalta, Kerch and Feodosia are plunged into complete darkness.
The energy collapse is the result of the ongoing specialized operation of the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine under the code name “Krymskiy rubilnik off“. In recent weeks, Ukrainian drones have systematically destroyed key substations (110 kV and 150 kV), logistics nodes and links of the Kuban-Crimea energy bridge, aiming to paralyze Russian air defense and electronic warfare (EW) on peninsula.
The tragedy in Zhytomyr and the strikes with „Tornado-S“ in Slavyansk
The situation in the other regions of Ukraine remains critical. The number of victims in the double Russian strike with jet drones against the Main Directorate of the National Police in Zhytomyr has increased to 40 people. Interior Minister Ivan Vygovsky announced the identities of the dead officers - 32-year-old Captain Artem Zubchuk and 39-year-old Lieutenant Colonel Yulia Evdokimova. The attack took place in broad daylight, when there were many civilian visitors in the building.
In the Donetsk region, the Russian army attacked a densely populated residential area in the city of Slavyansk with "Tornado-S" multiple launch rocket systems. The attack caused heavy material damage, destroyed homes and confirmed the death of one civilian citizen.
Escalation on the front and a new Hero of Ukraine
On the battlefield, the most intense clashes remain in the eastern part of the country. According to information from the morning report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the largest number of combat clashes were registered in the Konstantinovskoe and Pokrovskoe directions, where Russian forces continue to attempt to break through the Ukrainian defenses at the cost of huge losses in manpower and equipment.
Against the backdrop of heavy fighting, by decree of President Volodymyr Zelensky, the highest state award – the title “Hero of Ukraine“ was awarded to a Ukrainian commander who, with his personal pickup truck under constant enemy fire, evacuated dozens of wounded fighters directly from the zone of fire defeat.
Източници на информацията:
- Данни за въздушния удар и разрушенията в Киев: Официален Telegram канал на кмета Виталий Кличко (t.me/vitaliy_klitschko); Доклади на Киевската градска военна администрация (КГВА); Военновъздушни сили на ВСУ; Украински информационни портали "24 Канал" (24tv.ua) и "ЛIГА.net" (news.liga.net).
- Информация за ситуацията в Крим: Кримски и украински мониторингови паблици; разследвания на "Крым.Реалии" (ru.krymr.com); публикации в "Украинская правда" (pravda.com.ua) и "Фокус" (focus.ua).
- Информация за удара в Житомир: Официално изявление на министъра на вътрешните работи Иван Виговски във Facebook (facebook.com); Национална полиция на Украйна.
- Военна обстановка и фронтова линия: Сводка на Генералния щаб на Въоръжените сили на Украйна (Генштаб ЗСУ).