Ukrainian attack on Russian-occupied Melitopol

Ukrainian forces launched an attack on the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol (southern Ukraine) on Saturday evening, pro-Russian official sources and people loyal to Kiev said.

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The strategic city, which before the war had a population of more than 150,000, is located in the region of Zaporizhia, which Moscow claims to have annexed.

Both sides gave conflicting information about the targets of the strikes and casualties, which AFP could not immediately verify.

According to Yevgeny Politsky, the Russian-appointed head of the Zaporizhia region, Ukrainian forces attacked Melitopol at around 9pm on Saturday using US HIMARS long-range rockets.

The attack destroyed a “recreation center” on the outskirts of the city, killing two people and injuring ten others. He said he reached the spot when people were eating.

Two rockets were destroyed in flight and four rockets hit their target, the official added.

Another pro-Russian regional official, Vladimir Rokov, posted a photo of a large fire destroying an “entertainment center.”

Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of the city he fled to against the Russians, said Ukrainian forces had stormed the city and killed dozens of “invaders”.

No comment was immediately available from the Ukrainian military.

HIMARS rocket launchers played a key role in the Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russian forces in southern and eastern Ukraine.

Russian troops captured Melitopol at the beginning of the offensive launched on February 24.