Ukraine brushes off Putin’s latest strikes by seizing back five key villages

Ukraine yesterday repulsed Putin’s latest attacks on its cities by taking back five key villages in the area Russia has just annexed.

Kiev has vowed to retake the entire Kherson region by the end of the year after launching its counter-offensive in August.

It was one of four regions claimed by Russia last month after mock votes. Ukrainian presidency said troops ‘liberated five more settlements in Beryslav district’ [in the Kherson region]’.

Russia continued to attack civilian targets. A rocket hit a market in the eastern city of Avdiivka, killing at least nine. Other strikes have targeted energy production near Dnipro.

The shelling killed at least nine people and injured another nine, ripping open market stalls and leaving the corpses scattered on the ground.

“There was no military logic in this attack – just an unbridled desire to kill as many of our people as possible and scare others,” said Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko.

The Ukrainian emergency service released video footage last night showing rescuers freeing a family from the rubble of destroyed buildings in Zaporizhzhya.

The Ukrainian emergency service released video footage last night showing rescuers pulling a family from the rubble of destroyed buildings in Zaporizhzhya (photo: a Ukrainian tank).

Officials did not give a date for when the video was filmed, but the southeastern city has been bombed regularly from Russian-occupied territory south of the Dnipro River for the past two weeks.

There was one strike at an apartment building overnight, but there were no reports of casualties, regional governor Oleksandr Starukh said.

Local officials in the central region of Dnipropetrovsk said Russian invaders attacked energy facilities in Kamian yesterday morning.

‘In the morning, the Russians hit the energy infrastructure in the Kamian district. There is a strong fire and destruction,” said Governor Valentin Reznichenko.

Doctors said three people were seriously injured at the hospital in nearby Nikopol, including a six-year-old girl.

More than 30 high-rise and private buildings, two kindergartens, a school, two businesses and shops were damaged in the city (Photo: A Ukrainian soldier stands while a 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer fires a grenade at the frontline in Donetsk region)

More than 30 high-rise and private buildings, two kindergartens, a school, two businesses and shops were damaged in the city.

It came when US President Joe Biden used an interview with CNN broadcaster to downplay concerns that Putin could turn to nuclear weapons if his “special military operation” in Ukraine falters.

Biden said the Kremlin despot was a “rational actor who miscalculated significantly” when he decided to invade his neighbor.

When asked how realistic he thought it would be for Putin to use a tactical nuclear weapon, Biden replied, “Well, I don’t think he will.”

“I think it’s irresponsible of him to talk about it, the idea of ​​a world leader of one of the largest nuclear powers in the world saying that he can use a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine.

“Once you use a nuclear weapon, the mistakes that can be made, the miscalculations, who knows what will happen.”

The US leader also declined to rule out meeting the Russian strongman at an upcoming summit next month in Bali, Indonesia, but warned: “He acted brutally. I think he committed war crimes. And so I see no reason to meet him now.’