KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Eleven people were killed in Russian shelling in Ukraine's partially occupied Donetsk region on Saturday, regional governor Vadim Filashkin said. Five children were among the dead in the attack on the Pokrovsk district, and eight others were injured, he said.
The Ukrainian military on Saturday claimed a successful attack on the Saki military air base in the Russian-occupied western Crimea peninsula.
“Saki Airfield! All targets hit! ” Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk wrote in a telegram. He also released a photo that appeared to show the airfield, but the image could not be immediately confirmed.
Russian officials did not comment on the alleged attack, but Russia's Ministry of Defense announced early Saturday that it had successfully shot down four Ukrainian missiles over the peninsula overnight. Late Saturday, the ministry reported that its air defense forces shot down six anti-ship missiles over the Black Sea.
Ukraine launches attack drones and missiles on Russian-occupied territoryhttps://t.co/f0cfoTT7DH
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) January 6, 2024
Traffic was temporarily suspended for the third day in a row on the bridge that connects the peninsula illegally occupied by Moscow in 2014 to Russia's southern Krasnodar region. This span is a critical supply link for Russia's war effort.
In Russia, local officials in the city of Belgorod, about 40 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, said an “airborne target” had been shot down as it approached the city. A Ukrainian military attack on Belgorod on December 30 killed 25 people, and Ukrainian officials said rocket and drone attacks continued throughout the week.
As Russians prepare to celebrate Orthodox Christmas, Christmas Eve Mass in the city of Belgorod has been canceled due to the “operational situation,” Mayor Valentin Demidov said.
