Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian strikes had reduced the town of Bakhmut to ruins as the fighting in the region continues. Russian strikes across the rest of the country have also hit energy infrastructure and killed civilians as the war continues.
In his nightly video address Saturday, Zelenskyy said that the situation on the ground in Bakhmut was “very difficult” in the frontlines in the partially-occupied areas of Luhansk and Donetsk. Zelenskyy also cited the cities that are currently under heavy fire from Russian strikes; Bakhmut, Soledar, Maryinka, and Kreminna.
“Bakhmut, Soledar, Maryinka, Kreminna. For a long time, there is no living place left on the land of these areas that have not been damaged by shells or fire,” said Zelenskyy in his address. “The occupiers actually destroyed Bakhmut, another Donbas city that the Russian army turned into burned ruins.”
“After the night strike by Iranian drones, Odessa and other cities and villages of the region are in darkness,” added Zelenskyy, as over 1.5 million people had no power in the southern port city.
Also, on Saturday, the Ukrainian military reported air raids that happened in Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. The Ukrainian military’s General Staff said that around 20 Russian air raids and over 60 missile attacks hit targets across Ukraine between Friday and Saturday.
In a post on the Telegram messaging platform, the deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said two civilians were killed, and eight others were wounded from the rocket and artillery attacks that took place the day before. Tymoshenko added that residential areas, shops, warehouses, critical infrastructure, and a hospital were struck in Kherson.
Meanwhile, a team made up of legal advisers is assisting authorities in Ukraine’s reclaimed territory of Kherson as they start gathering evidence of sexual crimes committed by Russian forces in the reclaimed territory. The gathering of evidence is part of the prosecutor’s investigation into sexual crimes committed as they look to hold Russia accountable for such atrocities on the ground.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine back in February, reports of rape and other abuses have surfaced in Ukraine.


Zelenskiy Cabinet Reshuffle Puts Ukraine Defense Minister Fedorov’s Future in Focus
Western Allies Push for More Air Defenses for Ukraine at Paris Summit
Venezuela Appoints Felix Plasencia to Lead Foreign Relations and Trade
US Military Launches New Strikes on Iran, Targets Threats to Strait of Hormuz Shipping
Iraq PM Visits Washington as U.S. Oil, Gas Deals Take Center Stage
Trump Says U.S. Strikes on Iran Will Continue Until Nuclear Deal Is Reached
Trump Tells Congress Iran Hostilities Restarted, Citing New 60-Day War Powers Window
Trump to Deliver National Address on 2020 Election Intelligence, Voting Machine Security
Trump Administration Bars U.S. Travelers From Congo Flights Amid Ebola Outbreak
Trump to Deliver National Address on Declassified 2020 Election Intelligence
EU Weighs New Trade Restrictions on Israeli West Bank Settlements
Israel-Lebanon Talks Resume in Rome as Ceasefire and Troop Withdrawal Remain Elusive
Brazil Court Bars Flavio Bolsonaro From Visiting Jair Bolsonaro Ahead of Election
Trump Administration Hands Over Key Evidence in Minnesota Immigration Shooting Investigations
UK Sanctions 24 Russian-Linked Targets Over Cyberattacks and Election Interference
Reuters/Ipsos Poll: Most Americans Expect U.S.-Iran War to Be Prolonged
Russia Launches Missile and Drone Attacks on Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv 



