Natalia Zinets, Pavel Polityuk

Kyiv (Reuters) – Russia attacked Kyiv with missiles on Wednesday, and President Vladimir Putin threatened to strike new targets in Ukraine if the west provided Ukraine with long-range missiles.

Officials in Ukraine said that a counter-attack was underway at Sievierodonetsk. This is the major battlefield east of Russia where Russia’s forces have been concentrated recently.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian president, stated on Sunday that he had traveled to Lysychansk (south of Sievierodonetsk) and Soledar. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, these were the first outings he made outside of capital. These trips could also be his closest trip to the frontline.

Victory is what you deserve, that’s the best thing. Zelenskiy, in his trademark Khaki T-shirt, said that victory was not possible. This statement was made to the Ukrainian troops via a Sunday evening video.

Lysychansk, Sievierodonetsk and Soledar are located in the Luhansk Region. The Donbas is Ukraine’s industrial heartland. Russia asserts it has a mission “liberate” both regions.

One person was admitted to the hospital after the Kyiv attacks, though no deaths were reported. Following Russia’s attacks on two remote districts, you could see dark smoke from many miles away.

While Ukraine claimed that the strike occurred at rail car repairs works, Moscow stated it had destroyed tanks from Eastern European countries sent to Ukraine.

Oleksandr Kamyshin of Ukraine’s railway confirmed that four missiles crashed into Darnytsia Rail Car Repair Facility in Eastern Kyiv. However, he said no military equipment was found at the location.

This strike brought back the memory of war in Kyiv, where life is much better than it was before Russian troops were driven from its outskirts in march.

Mykhailo Podolyak, the Ukrainian presidential advisor said that missile strikes in Kyiv “have only one purpose – kill as many people as possible”.

Ukraine claims Russia was responsible for the Kyiv strikes using long-range missiles that were launched by air from large bombers.

The Ukrainian nuclear power operator claimed that a Russian cruise rocket had been seen flying “critically low” above the second-largest reactor of its nuclear power.

“CRACKING THEM LIKE NUTS”

Sunday’s strike was Kyiv’s first major attack since April when a missile killed an editor.

Russia recently focuses its devastation on the frontlines in the East and South, but it occasionally strikes in other areas in what it calls an effort to destroy Ukraine’s military infrastructure.

According to TASS, Putin told the West that Russia will strike new targets if it supplies Ukraine with long-range missiles.

United States declared last week that they would be sending new and advanced medium-range rockets systems to Ukraine.

Putin stated that the Russian rockets Washington promised were similar to Soviet-era weapons Ukraine had.

He said that Washington could launch longer-range missiles and “we’ll strike at targets we haven’t yet hit” if it did. He said that the West’s drones had no impact on Russia and they were “cracking them as nuts”.

Britain announced that it would provide Ukraine with multi-launch rocket systems which can reach targets of up to 80 km (50 mi) from its territory.

SIEVIERODONETSK

According to Serhiy Gaidai, the governor of Luhansk, Ukrainian forces control half of Sievierodonetsk. They are continuing to push back the Russians on the front.

They will just try to level it all. Gaidai stated that the Russians have no other strategies.

They could not independently verify the claims. Both parties claim they inflicted large casualties at Sievierodonetsk.

Gaidai reported that evacuations were resumed Sunday from Luhansk, Ukraine’s occupied province. 98 people have escaped.

Russian journalist for state media said Sunday that Russian Major General Roman Kutuzov, a major in the Russian army, was also killed in Ukraine.

According to the Ukrainian military, seven terrorist attacks were repelled in Donetsk-Luhansk on Sunday by its troops. They destroyed four tanks and shot down a combat helicopter.

Russian forces are advancing on Donetsk territory north and west of the Siverskiy Donets River, ahead of Ukraine anticipating a push against the capital city Sloviansk.

Pope Francis called the conflict “the negation God’s dream” during a Rome address on Sunday.