Ukraine forces hit a railroad station and cut off electricity in the Russian-controlled city of Melitopol, well behind the front line of the Russia-Ukraine war on Wednesday.
There were explosions, according to the exiled mayor of the city in Ukraine. Moscow-appointed authorities, as cited by Russia's TASS news agency, reported that the city and its surrounding towns lost electricity, and a train yard was destroyed, according to Reuters.
A railway logistics center for Russian troops in southern Ukraine, Melitopol had a pre-war population of about 150,000. It is also a section of the land bridge that connects Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula.
The Ukraine attack on Melitopol occurred amid escalating word from Kyiv of a counterassault against Russian soldiers worn out by a failed winter push in Bakhmut.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that if his country loses a protracted struggle in a key eastern city, Russia may start developing international support for an agreement that might oblige Ukraine to make unpalatable sacrifices.
Zelensky also extended an invitation to the head of China, which has maintained a close relationship with Russia.
In an interview with AP News, Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russian President Vladimir Putin would "sell this victory to the West, to his society, to China, to Iran," if Bakhmut succumbed to Russian troops in the Russia-Ukraine war, CNBC reported.
Ukraine Receives German, UK Tanks
In related updates, Germany's defense ministry has confirmed that the country's first batch of Leopard 2 tanks has been transferred to Ukraine.
After receiving training on how to handle them, Ukrainian personnel received the delivery of 18 state-of-the-art main combat tanks, per the BBC.
Boris Pistorius, minister of defense, said he was certain the tanks will bring significant help to Kyiv troops in the Russia-Ukraine war. Ukrainian news sources also confirm the arrival of British Challenger 2 tanks.
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