Shelling in Ukraine amid Kremlin-staged votes
Kyiv, September 24
Russian forces launched new strikes on Ukrainian cities on Saturday as Kremlin-orchestrated votes continued in occupied regions of Ukraine to pave the way for their annexation by Moscow.
Zaporizhzhia Governor Oleksandr Starukh said the Russians targeted infrastructure facilities in the Dnieper River city, and one of the missiles hit an apartment building, killing one person and injuring seven others. The Russian forces also struck other areas in Ukraine, damaging residential buildings and civilian infrastructure.
The British Defense Ministry said Russia was targeting the Pechenihy dam on the Siverskyy Donets River in northeastern Ukraine following previous strikes on a dam on a reservoir near Kryvyi Rih, causing flooding on the Inhulets River.
“Ukrainian forces are advancing further downstream along both rivers,” the British said. “As Russian commanders become increasingly concerned about their operational setbacks, they are probably attempting to strike the sluice gates of dams in order to flood Ukrainian military crossing points.” Amid the fighting, voting continued in Kremlin-organised referendums in occupied areas — votes that Ukraine and its Western allies dismissed as a sham with no legal force.
In the five-day voting in the eastern Luhansk and Donetsk regions and Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south that began on Friday, election officials accompanied by police officers carried ballots homes and set up mobile polling stations, citing safety reasons. — AP
Over 700 detained in protests across Russia
Moscow: More than 700 perons were detained across Russia at protests against a mobilisation order on Saturday, a rights group said, three days after President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia’s first military draft since World War Two for the conflict in Ukraine. Unsanctioned rallies are illegal under Russian law, which also forbids any activity considered to defame the armed forces. reuters
