Putin's dam strategy: Escalating tensions at Ukraine's border
Vladimir Putin ordered the bombing of a dam on a reservoir near the border with Ukraine to stop Ukrainian forces from moving into Russian territory. A video has appeared online.
According to the express.co.uk portal, the video shows how a FAB-3000 bomb exploded the dam on the Popovka reservoir on the Udawa River, just 250 metres from the border with Ukraine. The Ukrainian armed forces were reportedly using this route to enter Russia’s Belgorod region.
The bombing might aim to block the exit routes of Ukrainian troops as Russian forces try to encircle them. The incursion into the Belgorod region, which started last month, helps maintain control over the territory in the Kursk region, where Ukrainians still hold their positions.
War in Ukraine. Russia shells cities
The attack on the dam occurred as Putin resumed airstrikes after a 24-hour break. In a massive kamikaze drone attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, eight people were injured, including three children. Once again, Russia attempted to intimidate civilians, causing 15 explosions in the city.
"Hits were recorded at two civilian enterprises in the Kholodnogorsk district," stated the Ukrainian state emergency service. Many fires broke out in the city. The injured children and adults experienced an acute stress reaction. Among them were children aged nine months, seven, and 16 years. Private residential buildings were damaged.
Other Russian attacks affected Odesa and the Zaporizhzhia region. Throughout the country, in the last 24 hours, three people died, and 18 were injured. In Odesa, breaking its commitment, Russia attacked the Pivdenne and Chornomorsk ports on the Black Sea. The Chlibodarske settlement, where a military unit is located, was also targeted.
Ukrainians respond to Russia
Meanwhile, an emergency was declared in the port of Taganrog on the Sea of Azov after Ukrainian drones struck. The drones might have targeted the Taganrog Beriev Aviation Complex. About 85 residents were evacuated from a residential building in the city.
The centre of Kursk was also attacked as Ukraine intensified its actions against Putin amid clear signals that the Russian leader is not interested in peace. Russia reported shooting down 93 Ukrainian drones overnight: 87 over the Kursk region, four over the Rostov region, and two over the Belgorod region. As can be seen, although peace talks are ongoing and both sides declare in formal settings their readiness to stop air attacks, nothing indicates an end to the hostilities.
