Civilian dead in rocket attack eastern Ukraine, soldiers reach Russian border | NOW

At least ten civilians were killed in a rocket attack in the eastern Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk on Monday, Ukraine said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces around Kharkiv, further north, have reached the Russian border.

Severodonetsk has been under long fire from Russian troops on Monday, regional governor Serhiy Gaidai reported. Fires broke out in several neighborhoods as a result of bombings.

At least ten civilians have been killed in the eastern city as a result of the rocket attacks, Gaidai said. Severodonetsk is located in the middle of the Donetsk Basin, about 80 kilometers northwest of Luhansk and 120 kilometers north of Donetsk.

The Russians have shifted the center of gravity of their military capabilities to the Donets Basin. They say they want to protect the independence of the self-proclaimed people’s republics of Luhansk and Donetsk. Pro-Russian separatists have controlled some areas in those regions since 2014.

Ukrainian troops reach the Russian border from Kharkiv

Due to the Russian withdrawal, Ukraine says it is succeeding in pushing back Russian troops at Kharkiv ever further.

As a result of the counter-offensive, Ukrainian forces near Kharkiv are said to have reached the border with Russia. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry released a video on Sunday night showing a dozen soldiers at a border post.

Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov told the BBC on Saturday that the Ukrainian army has driven the Russians out of the city.

Kharkiv is the second largest city in Ukraine after Kyiv. There has been heavy fighting in the metropolis since the start of the war in February. It is unknown how many civilians and soldiers were killed.

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