Ukraine launches the “Battle for the Liberation of Kherson”

Ukraine announced yesterday that its forces bombed the Russian forces in Nova Kakhovka, killing 52 Russian soldiers and destroying an “ammunition depot”, as part of the battle launched by the Ukrainian army to liberate Kherson in the south of the country.

In turn, the Russian authorities accused Kyiv of targeting homes and killing at least seven people. The head of the Civil Military Administration established by Russian forces in this region, Vladimir Leontiev, denounced what she described as a “terrorist act” and a “horrific tragedy.”

Kherson, which borders Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014, has been occupied by Russian forces since the early days of the Russian invasion in February.

Also on Tuesday, Kyiv announced the liberation of five Ukrainians detained by Russian forces in the Kherson region during a “special operation” carried out by Ukrainian special forces. The Ukrainian military intelligence said that the operation was carried out by the special forces of the Ukrainian Military Intelligence, noting that the five people were a soldier, a former policeman and three civilians. The statement added that “one of them is seriously injured.”

In a related context, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stated yesterday that 5,024 civilians have been killed and 6,520 others have been injured since the start of the war in Ukraine on February 24, suggesting that the real number of deaths is much higher.