BY: News Peddlers
In a flurry of phone calls to Western defense ministers, Russia fired missiles and drones into the Ukrainian-held southern town of Mykolaiv, destroying an apartment block, and said the war was heading toward "uncontrolled escalation."
In the face of a Ukrainian counter-offensive, Russia ordered 60,000 people to flee the region "to save your lives."
According to the ministry, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu discussed the "rapidly deteriorating situation" in phone calls with his British, French, and Turkish counterparts.
He also spoke by phone for the second time in three days with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. According to the Pentagon, Austin told Shoigu that he "rejected any pretext for Russian escalation."
Without providing evidence, Shoigu stated that Ukraine could use a "dirty bomb," or conventional explosives laced with radioactive material, to escalate the situation.
Ukraine does not have nuclear weapons, whereas Russia has stated that it can defend its territory with its nuclear arsenal.
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's Foreign Minister, called the accusation "absurd" and "dangerous," adding that "Russians frequently accuse others of what they plan themselves."
Following the talks, Britain, France, and the United States issued a joint statement saying they were committed to supporting Ukraine "for as long as it takes" and rejecting Russia's threat of a "dirty bomb."
"Our countries made it clear that we all reject Russia's obviously false allegations that Ukraine is planning to use a dirty bomb on its own territory," they said.
"Any attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation would be seen through by the world."
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According to Reuters, a missile strike in Mykolaiv on Sunday destroyed the top floor of an apartment building, sending shrapnel and debris across a plaza and into neighboring buildings. There were no fatalities reported.
"I tried to get out after the first blast, but the door was stuck," said
"After the first blast, I tried to get out, but the door was stuck," said Oleksandr Mezinov, 50, who was woken from his bed by the blasts. "After a minute or two, there was a second loud blast. Our door was blown into the corridor."
Ukraine's General Staff said on Sunday that anti-aircraft defenses had shot down 12 of Russia's Iranian-made Shahed-136 attack drones in the previous 24 hours.
Tehran denies supplying Russia with the weapons.
Ukraine's advances in recent weeks around Kherson and in the country's northeast have been met with intensifying Russian missile and drone attacks on civilian infrastructure, which have destroyed about 40% of Ukraine's power system ahead of winter.
Russian troops have withdrawn from parts of the front, and occupation authorities are evacuating civilians deeper into Russian-held territory ahead of a battle for Kherson, the regional capital on the Dnipro river's west bank.
Kherson serves as an entry point to Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.
"Today's situation is difficult. It is critical that you save your lives "Sergei Kravtsov, Russia's Education Minister, said in a video message. "It won't last long. You will undoubtedly return."
At one point on Sunday, Russia-installed authorities there reported a lack of vessels to ferry people across the river, blaming a "sharp increase in the number of people wishing to leave."
According to the Interfax news agency, approximately 25,000 people have been evacuated since Tuesday.
Ukraine's military said it was making progress in the south, seizing at least two villages that it claimed Russia had abandoned.
On Sunday, Russia's defense ministry announced that its forces had continued to attack Ukraine's energy and military infrastructure, destroyed a large ammunition depot in the central Cherkasy region, and repelled Ukrainian counter-offensives in the south and east.
The accounts could not be independently verified by Reuters.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russian attacks on energy infrastructure were "very widespread."
With the war entering its ninth month and winter approaching, the prospect of freezing misery loomed.
The head of Ukraine's national energy company, Ukrenergo, Volodymyr Kudritskiy, said power had been restored to more than 1.5 million customers following mass weekend attacks on energy targets.
Moscow has admitted to targeting energy infrastructure in Ukraine, but denies targeting civilians in what it calls a "special military operation."
Ukraine also accused Russia of impeding a deal on grain exports through the Black Sea, claiming that its ports were only operating at 25% to 30% capacity.
In July, the United Nations and Turkey reached an agreement that allowed Ukraine to resume grain exports from Black Sea ports that had been closed since Russia's invasion.
REUTERS