Ukraine claims to destroy Russia stronghold in Kherson; kill 20 soldiers, destroy vehicles

As the brutal conflict in Eastern Europe shows no signs of subsiding, the Ukrainian army recently claimed to destroy the Russian foothold in Kherson Oblast. The Operational Command "South" revealed that they have killed nearly 20 Russian soldiers and destroyed several military equipment. As per the Operational command's Facebook post, three armoured vehicles, two S-300 missile systems, a self-propelled Giatsint-S howitzer, a self-propelled Msta-S howitzer, a Nebo-M radar system, and a 120 mm mortar have been destroyed in the latest Ukrainian assaults. 

Meanwhile, in Mykolaiv Oblast's Bashtanka, a Russian missile demolished a residential building in which, a child was wounded. Zelenodolsk was also targeted by an Uragan multiple rocket launcher. Multiple residential structures were destroyed in the incident, which also left one person dead and six others injured, as per the post by Ukraine's forces. 

Russia strikes attack on an ammunition depot in the Odessa

Besides this, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov, the spokesman for the Russian Defence Ministry, stated that the country's Armed Forces have destroyed an ammunition depot in the Odessa area of Ukraine that had missiles for the US multiple rocket launchers HIMARS. He said that the facility had been destroyed by Russian military forces using Kalibr cruise missiles. It should be noted that Ukraine has been fighting Russia using HIMARS produced in the United States. 

Citing Konashenkov, Tass reported that "high-precision sea-based long-range Kalibr missiles near the village of Mayorskoye in the Odessa Region destroyed an ammunition depot with missiles for the American HIMARS multiple-launch rocket systems and Western-made anti-aircraft systems". 

Furthermore, on Saturday, August 20, Russian authorities claimed to have shot down Ukrainian drones in Crimea, while Ukrainian authorities said that Russian forces continued their attempts to annex one of the few cities in eastern Ukraine that were not already under their control. As per the Associated Press report, strikes by the Russian military continued in both the north and south of Ukraine. 

Russian authorities asserted that local air defences in Crimea gunned down a drone above the Sevastopol headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. This event is considered to be the second drone incident at the headquarters in the past three weeks.  

An aide to the governor of Crimea, Oleg Kryuchkov, stressed on Saturday that "attacks by small drones" had activated air-defence systems in western Crimea. "r defence systems successfully hit all targets over the territory over Crimea on Saturday morning. There are no casualties or material damage," Sergei Aksyonov, his supervisor, stated on Telegram. 

Additionally, in the town of Voznesensk in the Mykolaiv area, a Russian missile assault on Saturday left 12 people injured, including three children, and destroyed homes and an apartment building, according to the Ukrainian prosecutor's office. 

(Image: AP)