Ukraine’s emergency services said five people were killed in an apparent Russian airstrike on a TV tower in Kyiv on Tuesday.
Videos surfaced online of explosions hitting the TV tower shortly after Russia’s Defense Ministry warned residents of Kyiv to leave areas near facilities it planned to target. The Russian Defense Ministry said it would target the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the 72nd Main Center for Information and Psychological Operations (PSO) in Kyiv.
“In order to thwart informational attacks against Russia, [Russian forces] will strike technological objects of the SBU and the 72nd Main PSO Center in Kyiv. We urge Ukrainian citizens involved by Ukrainian nationalists in provocations against Russia, as well as Kyiv residents living near relay stations, to leave their homes,” the Ministry said.
While there were strikes on Tuesday, it still doesn’t appear that Russia has ordered a full-blown assault on Ukraine’s capital. Russian strikes were also reported in the northeastern city of Kharkiv on Tuesday, and fighting continued near the southeastern port of Mariupol between the Donbas separatists and Ukrainian forces.
Denis Pushilin, the head of the breakaway Donestk People’s Republic, said the goal of the fighting on Tuesday was to “encircle” the city of Mariupol. “Today’s task was to encircle Mariupol and fighting continues on the approaches to the city,” he sad.
Nice summary