Ukraine war live: 1,000 people evacuated from Krasnodar amid Kyiv’s drone barrage

Ukraine says its forces have hit two Russian munition depots yesterday, in attacks that illustrated its growing capability to strike targets deep inside Russia.

Russian officials acknowledged the Ukrainian attack on one of the depots in southern Krasnodar region, saying it was carried out with drones. They introduced local emergency measures to mitigate the effects of the assault.

A statement by Ukraine’s military general staff said the munitions depots were at Tikhoretsk in Krasnodar region and Oktyabrsky in the western region of Tver.

“The (Tikhoretsk) facility is in the top three largest munitions storages of the occupiers, and is one of the key points in the Russian military logistical system,” the general staff wrote in a statement on Telegram.

It said Ukraine had information that a train carrying 2,000 tonnes of munitions, including from North Korea, had been on the territory of the depot at the time of the strike.

A Ukrainian security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said drones were used in the attacks.

The source said Ukraine‘s domestic SBU intelligence service hit the depot in Tikhoretsk in a joint operation with the Ukrainian military, while the SBU hit the target in Oktyabrsky on its own.

The SBU has conducted regular drone attacks deep inside Russia over the past year of the war.

Volodymyr Zelensky said the end of Russia’s war on Ukraine depended on the “resolve” of Kyiv’s Western allies in providing needed weaponry and permission to use it.

Mr Zelensky, speaking in his nightly video address, thanked his military for a new strike on an arsenal in Russia, though he did not identify the location.

He also said his meetings next week in the United States were “crucial” to ensuring that Ukraine had the defence capabilities it needed.

“If we could direct all our precision towards defending our state, if there were enough missiles and permissions that partners could provide for this, the overall situation in the war would be better for our security,” the war-time president said.

He added: “The answer to the question ‘When will the war end?’ is actually in when our partners’ resolve will not lag behind what we can do for our defence, our independence, our victory.”

“Our clear strategy will be on the table of our partners. On the table of the president of the United States.”

At least 12 people were injured after Russian forces struck a multi-storey apartment building in Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv on Saturday evening, officials said.

The strike prompted an evacuation of some of its residents, mayor Ihor Terekhov said. The Russians had deployed a guided bomb, and that rescue operations were under way at the site, the mayor said.

He said many windows had been shattered and 60 residents had been evacuated from the building.

Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said a child was among those injured. He said there had been two attacks on the city and a strike near the city of Izium, southeast of Kharkiv, which had set two private homes on fire.

Kharkiv, 30km (18 miles) from the Russian border, has been a frequent target of Moscow’s attacks since the Kremlin’s troops launched their February 2022 invasion of its smaller neighbour.

Volodymyr Zelensky will visit the Pennsylvania ammunition factory today that is producing one of the most critically needed munitions for his country’s fight to fend off Russian ground forces.

He is expected to go to the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant to kick off a busy week in the United States shoring up support for Ukraine in the war, according to two US officials and a third familiar with Mr Zelensky’s schedule who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details that were not yet public.

He also will address the UN General Assembly annual gathering in New York and travel to Washington for talks on Thursday with president Joe Biden and vice president Kamala Harris.

The Scranton plant is one of the few facilities in the country to manufacture 155 mm artillery shells. They are used in howitzer systems, which are towed large guns with long barrels that can fire at various angles.

Howitzers can strike targets up to 15 miles to 20 miles (24km to 32km) away and are highly valued by ground forces to take out enemy targets from a protected distance.

Ukraine has already received more than 3 million of the 155 mm shells from the US.