The town of Zaporizhia, where the nuclear power plant is located, continues to be the target of deadly Russian strikes. Early in the morning of Wednesday, October 18, local authorities reported that two Russian missiles reached this metropolis in southeastern Ukraine overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday.
“Tonight, between 1:33 a.m. and 1:48 a.m. [heure ukrainienne]”, Russia fired “six missiles at the town of Zaporizhia”, wrote on Telegram the governor of the region, Yuriï Malachko. “Two people were killed and three injured by the impact”, indicated the local police, specifying that one of the missiles had hit a building.
According to emergency services, it is a residential building, of which a section of floors 3 to 5 was destroyed. In photos released by the same source, we can see a gutted building, a portion of its facade collapsed. Photos also published on the X and Telegram accounts of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Russia denounces first Ukrainian firings of long-range ATACMS missiles
This Russian attack comes the day after a major announcement from Ukraine. On Tuesday evening, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that kyiv used American long-range ATACMS missiles against Russia for the first time. “The agreements we reached with the president [américain Joe] Biden are being implemented […] very precisely: the ATACMS have proven themselves”, welcomed the Ukrainian president in his daily speech published on social networks.
The head of state, however, did not specify where and when his army had used it, although his special forces had earlier claimed destructive strikes on Russian army airfields. A use of American weapons denounced this Wednesday morning as “a serious error” by the Russian ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov. “The consequences of this measure, which was deliberately hidden from the public, will be most serious,” the ambassador said.
For its part, Washington estimated Tuesday evening that its ATACMS missiles will “boost” Ukrainian military capabilities. The United States has provided missiles with a maximum range of 165 kilometers which “give Ukraine the ability to strike in depth” Russian targets on its own territory, Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the Ukraine, said in a statement. White House National Security Council.
Putin hails “success” of Chinese “New Silk Roads” forum
While Russia is heavily sanctioned by the West because of its offensive against Ukraine, Moscow continues to seek to strengthen its already very close ties with China. Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed China’s “success” in its vast infrastructure, trade and finance project known as the “New Silk Roads” on Wednesday in Beijing, according to the Russian state agency TASS.
“Given the global dimensions of the initiative that the Chinese leader launched a decade ago, frankly, one could hardly have expected it to work. [Mais] our Chinese friends succeed. We are happy to see this great success, because it means a lot to many of us,” declared Vladimir Putin, distinguished guest of a summit dedicated to this project. It was the autocrat’s first stay in a major world power since the start of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, who appears to have gained the upper hand in their bilateral relations, also reiterated the “growing” trust between Beijing and Moscow on Wednesday during a meeting with his Russian counterpart in the Chinese capital. “Mutual political trust between the two countries is constantly growing,” he declared to his ally, according to the official Xinhua news agency, at a time when the two men displayed their unity against the West.