Six Fatalities in Ukraine Due to Russian Assault, Major City Loses Power

Russian military forces launched a significant drone attack, deploying nearly 50 Shahed drones at targets across Ukraine. They also shelled a train station in Kherson, where over 100 civilians were gathered, intending to travel to Kyiv. Ukrainian officials reported these incidents on Wednesday, confirming that the attacks resulted in the deaths of at least five individuals and caused a widespread power outage in Kherson.

This assault occurred just a day after Ukrainian aircraft damaged a Russian vessel in the Black Sea near Crimea. Both sides have been engaged in intense combat along the front lines of the ongoing 22-month conflict.

According to Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, the Kremlin’s forces bombarded Kherson region, targeting the capital city, where approximately 140 civilians were waiting for a train. This attack led to the death of a police officer and injuries to two other officers and two civilians.

Despite the attack, over 100 people who were at the station managed to reach Kyiv on Wednesday morning, as reported by the national rail operator Ukrzaliznytsia.

The strikes in the Kherson region affected residential areas, a shopping mall, and the power grid, leaving about 70% of households in Kherson city without electricity during the cold winter months, stated regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin. The timeline for restoring power remains uncertain.

Russia also targeted energy infrastructure last winter in an attempt to demoralize the Ukrainian population by cutting off heating and water supply.

In Odesa, another significant southern Ukrainian city, the drone attack resulted in two fatalities and three injuries, including a 17-year-old. This was reported by regional Governor Oleh Kiper.

Ukraine’s air force successfully intercepted 32 of the 46 drones launched by Russia overnight.

A recent Western military assessment suggested that Russia’s recent capture of a city in eastern Ukraine wouldn’t lead to substantial battlefield advancements. Ukrainian commander-in-chief Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi stated that his forces had retreated from the city of Marinka, located around 20 kilometers west of Donetsk, after nearly two years of holding it against Russian forces.

The Institute for the Study of War, a research organization, indicated that rapid operational advances by Russian forces from Marinka are highly unlikely. However, the think tank acknowledged that Russian offensives are continuing to exert pressure on Ukrainian forces in various locations along the eastern front.