The Voznesensk community needs to arrange 70 shelters of various types and 27 more mobile shelters This is stated in the draft decision of the executive committee of the Voznesensk City Council Voznesensk needs different types of shelters to protect the population It is necessary to equip one class A-IV facility that can accommodate 500 people There is also a need for 48 Group P-1 shelters for 11,955 people and 14 Group P-4 shelters that can protect 3,607 people there is a need for three P-4 group protective structures with the capacity to shelter 557 people four P-5 structures need to be arranged to protect 767 people the community needs mobile shelters that can be quickly deployed in case of a threat Voznesensk needs 25 such shelters for 625 people and the villages of Rakove and Novohryhorivka need one each for 25 people Note: Shelter classes indicate the level of protection A-IV are the most reliable shelters with air purification systems designed for critical facilities P-1 is a shelter for employees who must remain at work during an emergency for temporary protection of the population P-5 is the simplest shelter that provides a minimum level of security As a reminder, two regional hospitals in Mykolaiv are undergoing construction of protective structures The cost of the work was 145 million hryvnias About 800 million euros ($905 million) will be allocated for the acquisition and installation of anti-tank mines to deter potential aggression  (Updated:  May 6, 2025 9:37 am)Ukraine's drones target Moscow second night in a row, Russian official claims, ahead of Victory Day parade. Debris from one of the drones reportedly fell on the Kashirskoye Highway The reported attack comes just days before Russia's Victory Day parade and three-day "truce."  (Updated:  May 6, 2025 9:36 am)War analysisFrance is sending Ukraine more AASM Hammer bombs — here's what they can do Polish President Andrzej Duda said the United States has tools that can effectively influence the Kremlin arguing that only President Donald Trump has real leverage over Russian President Vladimir Putin The number includes 1,430 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day "To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause: The Many Lives of the Soviet Dissident Movement" by Benjamin Nathans which covers dissent in the Soviet Union and Russia today Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on May 5 announced they had facilitated Russian journalist Ekaterina Barabash's escape from Russia to France after she fled house arrest on April 21 A Russian drone attack on Odesa Oblast on May 5 killed one and caused damage to local infrastructure "We appreciate that Germany plays a pivotal role in supporting Ukraine throughout the years of war Ukraine is also grateful for your personal commitment," President Volodymyr Zelensky said MPs will be able to ask questions and learn more about the details of the agreement in meetings with Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko May 6-7 MP Serhii Sobolev told the news outlet Suspilne The ratification vote is scheduled for May 8 Attacks against the border villages of Bilopillia and Vorozhba damaged civilian infrastructure and triggered emergency evacuations the regional military administration reported "I look forward to working with President Erdogan on getting the ridiculous war between Russia and Ukraine ended — now!" U.S Putin's Victory Day truce "doesn't sound like much if you know where we started from," Trump told reporters at the White House on May 5 by Kateryna HodunovaRussian forces struck the city of Voznesensk in Mykolaiv Oblast on July 10 killing a man and injuring eight other people (The State Emergency Service / Telegram)Russian forces struck the city of Voznesensk in Mykolaiv Oblast on July 10 Voznesensk Mayor Yevhenii Velychko is among the victims, according to Kim All eight people suffered injuries of moderate severity The attack caused a fire at a civilian facility. Rescuers eliminated it at around 6 p.m. local time, the State Emergency Service reported Voznesensk, a city with a pre-war population of around 33,000, lies around 90 kilometers (around 55 miles) northwest of the regional center, Mykolaiv and about 155 kilometers (95 miles) northwest of the front line Mykolaiv Oblast is regularly targeted by Russian strikes due to its proximity to the front lines Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker was officially opened in the city of Voznesensk «We have finished restoring bridges in the region which was restored thanks to the Highway Service traffic on this bridge was opened,» said Vitalii Kim He called the bridge «symbolic» because it stopped the advance of the Russian military at the beginning of 2022 to the north of the Mykolaiv region It was this bridge that stopped the advance of Russian troops to the north of our region and state farthest point of advance of Russian troops It will be recalled that during the fighting in the Voznesensk district, three bridges were blown up: a road bridge and two railway bridges. In April 2023, the Service for Reconstruction and Development of Infrastructure in Mykolaiv Oblast (former Highway Service) announced tenders for works on the construction of a bridge on the N-24 highway The expected cost of the planned works was 449 million hryvnias The city of Voznesensk in the Mykolaiv region was a strategic point that the Russian military planned to capture from the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation about one and a half hundred units of Russian armored vehicles appeared on the outskirts of the city territorial defense forces of the Mykolaiv region police officers and volunteer formations took part in the defense See how the battle for Voznesensk took place on March 2-3 the foreign reporter’s riveting account of the battle for Voznesensk highlights the weaknesses of Putin’s invasion and the courage of Ukrainians Stubborn Town by Andrew Harding – the war in Ukraine in skilful miniatureThis article is more than 1 year oldSpanning just a few dramatic days An armoured column trundled insouciantly across a landscape of southern fields and villages The goal was to capture a crossing point between two rivers From there the Russians would roll to Odesa Standing in the way of this mighty army was a motley group of Ukrainian defenders They included a few soldiers and 30 home guard volunteers The enemy arrived with helicopters and armoured personnel carriers Stubborn Town tells the remarkable story of what happened next Harding is a veteran BBC foreign correspondent based for two decades in Africa (and no relation) His slim 135-page book is a riveting and vividly written account of how Voznesensk fought back against Russia’s war machine – and won It spans just a few dramatic days in early March 2022 Harding’s fine book points to why Ukraine has outperformed expectations in Washington and LondonThis gripping story is the literary equivalent of a superb miniature painting Each street-level detail illuminates a bigger truth: why Ukraine succeeded in resisting Russia’s shock and awe onslaught last year and how Moscow’s brazen attempt to subjugate an independent nation failed Putin assumed that ordinary Ukrainians would welcome his expeditionary force At first it went according to the Kremlin’s script Russian paratroopers overwhelmed a defensive trench One of them shouted to the Ukrainian volunteers sitting in it and out of ammunition: “Guys The Russians believed the “propaganda” and “lies” they had been fed: that their Ukrainian “Slav brothers” wanted to be “liberated from fascism” The author with one of the book’s heroines Photograph: Courtesy Andrew HardingIn fact almost all of Voznesensk’s citizens worked against the invaders Old ladies filled sandbags; men gathered hunting rifles and made molotov cocktails The community was plucky and ready to improvise in dark times a 59-year-old who once worked in a Soviet meat factory an armoured personnel carrier clattered into her yard A Chechen soldier jumped out and threatened to shoot her The Ukrainians prevailed because of superior military tactics They blew up a bridge over the town’s Dead Water River Kyiv’s 80th Brigade called in artillery strikes One shell hit a Russian helicopter as it tried to evacuate wounded people “supplies spilling out of them like the guts of gored animals” Voznesensk’s funeral director drove his van around the surrounding hills and woods picking up the bodies of Russians and stuffing them into transparent bags collected what was left of her 21-year-old son Serhii Russia has retreated from the right bank of the southern Kherson region flooding settlements and towns on either side of the Dnipro River Ukraine has launched a counteroffensive and reclaimed villages around Zaporizhzhia and are determined to defend a chunk of occupied southern territory Harding’s fine book points to why Ukraine has outperformed expectations in Washington and London and may just win this 21st-century David v Goliath struggle Luke Harding’s Invasion: Russia’s Bloody War and Ukraine’s Fight for Survival is now available in paperback (Guardian Faber) A Small, Stubborn Town: Life, Death and Defiance in Ukraine by Andrew Harding is published by Ithaka (£12.99). To support the Guardian and Observer order your copy at guardianbookshop.com This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025 The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media Voznesensk city center of primary health care received a car to provide palliative care This was reported in the Voznesensk City Council The car is equipped with a lift for patients with reduced mobility Mykolaiv and Kherson regions received such cars Assistance was provided by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Ukraine with the support of the European Union and the governments of Canada and Denmark We will remind that earlier the Voznesensk City Center of Primary Health Care received a new Renault Duster SUV. Also, an electric car was handed over to the doctors of the Voznesensk city center of primary health care. Voznesensk city center of primary health care received a new Renault Duster SUV This is reported by the Voznesensk City Council The transport will be used by medics for patronage examinations of newborns and as mobile vaccination points a car is necessary to visit patients with reduced mobility The medical facility was handed over by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine as part of the project «Strengthening the Health Care System and Saving Life» (Heal Ukraine) implemented jointly with the World Bank Ukraine «The car will allow to significantly increase the mobility of medical workers ensure timely access to medical services and improve the quality of service to the population,» reported the city council We will remind you that in the 8 months of 2024, 5 thousand 33 cars were imported and registered in the Mykolaiv region, of which the largest number was the Renault Duster brand. On August 20, 2022, during the massive shelling of Voznesensk, one of the Russian missiles hit a five-story building at 39 Kotliarevskyi Street, the walls of which literally «disintegrated». As a result of the attack, 14 people were injured the house still stands in a dilapidated state without any signs of demolition or restoration NikVesti found out the reasons and problems delaying the dismantling of the five-story building the residents had hope for the restoration of the building An expert commission conducted a technical examination which showed that the house was unfit for habitation: 60% of the structures were seriously damaged hoped that after the technical examination they would be able to return to their homes: «We all hoped that after the technical examination we would be able to return home there was still a chance to restore the building we expected that they would find a way to repair our apartments because we could not imagine life without our home When we learned that the technical conclusion confirmed our worst fears and recovery was impossible The technical report showed significant damage to the load-bearing structures but there is displacement of blocks in the blast zone the balconies of the first entrance are destroyed The building is so dangerous to use that it has to be demolished According to the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine №474 of April 19 local authorities can dismantle destroyed objects after an examination and a decision based on the act Money for this is provided by local or state programs and this can make it difficult to begin dismantling Director of Zhytlo-Service Olena Balabaieva says that due to the impossibility of restoring the building some residents decided to privatize the land under the building in order to prevent new construction in this area we got acquainted with the expert report and conducted a review with the commission Even specialists from Kyiv who were rebuilding damaged houses in Irpen came to us but they also confirmed that due to the damaged foundation none of the builders will undertake the restoration,» said Olena Balabaieva One of the main reasons is the issue of compensation to residents says that four families from this building have not yet received compensation for their destroyed apartments «We cannot submit the house for dismantling until we resolve the issue with the other residents Or there should be a general meeting in which they should show that they do not object to the demolition of the house,» he said Another problem is the financing of dismantling works The city authorities previously tried to attract international organizations that promised to carry out the dismantling Now the authorities are looking for new opportunities to dismantle the building The city authorities estimate the cost of dismantling at least one and a half million hryvnias a resident of the destroyed high-rise building the amounts of compensation offered to the residents of the destroyed building do not always cover the costs of new housing head of the Department of Housing and Communal Affairs and Capital Construction of the Voznesensk City Council 21 families out of 27 have already received compensation certificates The largest amount of compensation was 1 million 428 thousand hryvnias and the smallest was 537 thousand 850 hryvnias only five families have already used the certificates because the rest either cannot resolve the issues with the documents or do not consider the compensation sufficient to purchase a new home one of the residents of the destroyed building says that the city authorities are offering her 1 million 90 thousand hryvnias for the purchase of a new apartment this amount is not enough to buy a two-room apartment in Voznesensk it does not cover the cost of a new apartment with furniture She emphasizes that she does not want to leave Voznesensk even if you can buy a new apartment there,» she adds Now Inna is thinking about getting a compensation certificate although she understands that this amount will not cover all expenses Yevhen Velychko confirms that the housing market in Voznesensk is really under pressure due to the influx of immigrants officially registered IDPs make up about 12% of the city's population which significantly affects the demand for housing and increases its cost «We have not had a new construction for more than ten years The last high-rise building was built about nine years ago and today the city does not even have construction equipment for such projects,» says Velichko In addition to the problem with new construction there is another one — about 7% of housing in the city is vacant The city authorities have launched the process of recognizing abandoned apartments as «dead heritage» in order to later hand them over to new owners through the court This may help partially solve the housing crisis in the city As for the future of the destroyed building at 39 Kotliarevskyi Street the question of further use of the site remains open this area is intended for residential development it is necessary to develop a detailed plan of the territory which will cost about 200 thousand hryvnias — an amount that the city cannot afford at the moment the most likely option is the construction of a new house There are no ideas for alternative use of this territory yet The city authorities continue to search for possible solutions the residents of the destroyed building are forced to remain without their homes and the dismantling process may be delayed indefinitely due to a lack of funding and unresolved issues of compensation The work on this material became possible thanks to the Fight for Facts project which is implemented with the financial support of the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany The international organisation ACTED has helped to restore a residential building in Voznesensk that was damaged by a rocket attack on 10 July 2024 According to the press service of the Voznesensk City Council the house at 2nd Lisna Street suffered significant damage: the debris damaged the roof smashed windows and destroyed the roof structure the residents of the house already have a safe roof over their heads and the Voznesensk community is an example of how international assistance saves lives» At around 15:30, the Russian army launched a missile attack on a civilian facility in the town of Voznesensk. The Russian attack killed a man and reportedly injured seven people Later, the State Emergency Service of Mykolaiv region showed the aftermath of the strike and the process of firefighting On 11 July, it became known that the number of victims had increased to 8. Four of them are in hospital At the time of the explosion, an air alert was declared throughout the Mykolaiv region. The press service of the Ukrainian Air Force also warned that a high-speed target heading for Voznesensk had been spotted in the region Mayors of cities in Mykolaiv region have published their declarations for 2024 NikVesti analysed the declarations of the mayors of eight cities: Pervomaisk and the head of the Snihurivka City Military Administration Pervomaisk mayor Oleh Demchenko receives the highest salary and Snihurivka mayor Ivan Kukhta earns the lowest salary Read more about the declarations of city mayors in the article NikVesti In his 2024 declaration, Pervomaisk Mayor Oleh Demchenko indicated that he owns only a 36.2 square metre apartment in Pervomaisk All other real estate is owned by his wife Iryna She owns real estate in Kharkiv: one 91.2 square metre apartment and another in joint ownership His wife owns 18 land plots in Mykolaiv region She owns 25% each of a 1,285.3 square metre shop and a 1,552 square metre land plot The mayor's wife also leases non-residential premises of 53.5 square metres and 21 square metres of land in Pervomaisk and another 210.3 square metres of land in 2024 The couple also use a land plot and a 210.7-square-metre house in Pervomaisk The mayor of Pervomaisk also declared that he owns a car «Volga» and his wife owns a PORSCHE CAYENNE made in 2013 which she bought in 2019 for UAH 400 thousand Oleh Demchenko received ₴1.3 million in salary as mayor of Pervomaisk And his wife received ₴556 thousand from renting out property the couple sold a 36.2 square metre apartment in Pervomaisk and a NISSAN X-TRAIL car The mayor declared ₴90.8 thousand from the sale of the property The mayor of Pervomaisk keeps 100 thousand hryvnias and 10 thousand dollars in cash while his wife keeps 300 thousand hryvnias the mayor's wife took out a ₴5 million loan The couple also have over ₴300,000 and $2.3,000 in their bank accounts Voznesensk Mayor Yevhen Velychko indicated in his declaration that he owns a 56.8 square metre apartment in Voznesensk and a 20,000 square metre plot of land in the village of Akmechetski Stavky His wife Anna owns 25% of an apartment in Voznesensk with a total area of 66 square metres live in a 137.7-square-metre house in Voznesensk owned by Alla Velychko Yevhen Velychko also owns five trucks and a 2012 FIAT DOBLO car the mayor sold his 2010 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT CC for ₴400,000 which she bought the same year for ₴1.1 million Yevhen Velychko received ₴687,700 in salary as mayor of Voznesensk His wife Hanna received ₴6,800 in social benefits The mayor of Voznesensk keeps 267,700 hryvnias and 7,000 euros in cash Yevhen Velychko also declared that he and his wife have $78,200 in cash The mayor of Pivdenoukrainsk, Valerii Onufriienko which he purchased in 2021 for ₴1.1 million In the first 9 months of 2024, the mayor received ₴583,000 in salary, which is an average of UAH 64,800 per month. After his resignation, Valerii Onufriienko was reinstated as mayor by a court decision in April 2024 the mayor's wife received UAH 134,600 in pension and Valerii Onufriienko himself received UAH 219,000 And their daughter received ₴804,700 in salary from the state-owned enterprise «NNEGC «Energoatom» The mayor of Bashtanka, Oleksandr Berehovyi declared two houses in Bashtanka with a total area of 114.6 square metres He also owns two non-residential premises there Oleksandr Berehovyi has also been renting a non-residential premises with an area of 100 square metres he has owned another 1,000 square metres of land in Bashtanka his wife Yelyzaveta has owned a 44-square-metre apartment in Mykolaiv and two non-residential premises in Mykolaiv with a total area of 70.3 square metres She also owns another non-residential property of 251.84 square metres and a 23.4 square metre garage in Bashtanka The mayor's wife also owns a non-residential property in the village of Pyatikhatky The wife of the mayor of Bashtanka owns three plots of land in Bashtanka and the village of Mykhailivka Their total area is 92.3 thousand square metres She also leases a 366 square metre plot of land in Bashtanka Oleksandr Berehovyi declared three cars owned by his wife Yelyzaveta which she purchased in 2018 for ₴193.1 thousand; a 2021 SKODA KODIAQ which she purchased in 2021 for over ₴1 million; and a 2023 SKODA KAMIQ which she purchased in 2023 for ₴941.1 thousand The mayor of Bashtanka has had a car trailer since 2008 Oleksandr Berehovyi received ₴854 thousand in salary as mayor of Bashtanka which is an average of ₴71.1 thousand per month He also received a gift of 179 thousand hryvnias from his wife His wife received ₴2.9 million in income from business activities and ₴35.4 thousand from renting property The mayor of Bashtanka keeps 140 thousand hryvnias in cash while his wife keeps 25 thousand dollars and 1.5 million hryvnias The mayor of Novyi Buh, Maksym Lahodiienko declared a 122-square-metre house and a 36-square-metre apartment in Novyi Buh He also owns three plots of land in Novyi Buh Maksym Lahodiienko has another land plot in the village of Pokazne And his wife owns two plots of land in Novyi Buh Maksym Lahodienko received ₴965.1 thousand in salary as mayor of Novyi Buh which is an average of ₴80.4 thousand per month He received another ₴27.5 thousand for «independent professional activity» from the Department of Education Youth and Sports of the Executive Committee of the Novi Buh City Council His wife Victoria received 195,300 hryvnias in salary from a private rental company «Victoriia» The head of the Snihurivka local military administration, Ivan Kukhta The total value of the spouses' land plots as of the date of acquisition of the right was ₴363,300 Ivan Kukhta's wife owns a 66.8 square metre apartment in Mykolaiv and a 1.1 hectare land plot in the village of Rybakivka Yevheniia Onyshchenko also jointly owns a 230-square-metre office with Yurii Chichkov and a 240-square-metre plot of land in Bashtanka Ivan Kukhta owns three cars: Volkswagen transporter made in 2006 He also owns a 1996 Mercedes-Benz 609 D bus His wife Yevheniia Onyshchenko owns an Opel Insignia made in 2013 The declaration states that Ivan Kukhta's wife owns the company «Kiv-trans» with a registered capital of 100 thousand hryvnias The company's main business activity is wholesale trade in grain Ivan Kukhta received UAH 279.1 thousand in salary as the head of Snihurivka DMA which is an average of ₴23.2 thousand per month He received another 24 thousand hryvnias of income from the company «Kiv-Trans» and 1200 hryvnias of income from the company «Yug-Tir-Service» His wife received ₴20,600 in social benefits The couple have no registered bank accounts The mayor of Nova Odesa, Oleksandr Polyakov declared a 69.6 square metre residential building in Nova Odesa and a 508 square metre land plot His wife Victoria owns a 20,000 square metre plot of land in the village of Novoshmydtivka Oleksandr Polyakov earned ₴898,300 in salary as mayor His wife received ₴88.2 thousand in salary from the Department for Interaction with Local Self-Government Bodies of the Mykolaiv District State Administration She received another ₴16.3 thousand in part-time salary from the Charitable Organisation «Charitable Foundation «Adventist Agency for Relief and Development in Ukraine» but the amount of money kept on them is not specified The income declaration of the mayor of Ochakiv, Serhii Bychkov, is still classified by the National Agency for the Corruption Prevention. However, after checking the mayor's declarations for 2021 and 2022, the National Agency reported that Serhii Bychkov purchased an apartment in Spain worth more than ₴5 million and received ₴12 million as a gift from his mother The NACP said that the inspections revealed signs of illicit enrichment and declaration of false information worth more than ₴3 million He also allegedly received gifts in cash from his mother worth over ₴12 million these funds exceed the woman's legal income which since 1998 has amounted to only more than 580,000 hryvnias «The income of the mayor of Ochakiv and his wife from confirmed sources also did not allow them to purchase an apartment in Spain at their own expense noted an increase in monetary assets by ₴2 million in the reporting period the legality of the sources of which was not confirmed during the inspection» And also, what is stated in the declarations of the heads of district state administrations in Mykolaiv region and heads of district administrations in Mykolaiv Implemented with the support of the Association of Independent Regional Publishers of Ukraine and Amediastiftelsen as part of the Regional Media Support Hub project The views expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the official position of the partners You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed Ekaterina arrived in Moldova along with thousands of other refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine I came to Moldova with my grandson’s wife and my great-grandson My grandson stayed in Ukraine to defend the country and is now without a father or peace and quiet I pray for my grandson and for all who are fighting now for our motherland Ukraine we finally got to a place where we now feel safe We have relatives in Moldova and we are going to live with them From the first day I watched the news on TV about what was happening in my country I went to bed thinking that when I wake up More and more innocent people are suffering At the time of our evacuation from Voznesensk there was military fighting We didn’t know how to get out of the house quickly and safely especially because my children were blocked in another city and could not leave the territory My soul hurts for the children who suffer in this war More and more children are being born in the Kyiv metro and other shelters designed for refugees I still hope that everything will end soon I would not survive this if the house where I have lived for my whole life and into which I put so much of my soul I pray to the Lord to protect my loved ones from any harm I want people to be wise and aware of the danger they face and to understand that other people’s lives should not be neglected We have reached a peak when people are dying mothers are crying because they do not know what their children’s life will be like after the war If this situation continues for a long time I want more than anything to feel peaceful again I don’t need anything but a place to sleep I am grateful to the Moldovans for their hospitality but my greatest desire is to return to Ukraine and find my loved ones and my home safe and sound +44 20 7278 7778 info@helpage.org Charity web design by Fat Beehive Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The combined might of professional Ukrainian soldiers and local volunteers in a strategic town located in the south of Ukraine defeated a far greater Russian force looking to seize control The town of Voznesensk would have given Russia a gateway to the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant and a path to attack Odesa from the back, reported The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday a two-day battle that began on 2 March between the Russians and Ukrainians in the town turned the tide against the former Russian troops had left behind nearly 30 of their 43 vehicles including tanks who added that they had downed an Mi-24 attack helicopter as well Russian troops retreated more than 40 miles to the southeast where they continue to face fierce resistance from other Ukrainian troops Local officials said 10 Russian troops who had dispersed in the forests had been captured commander of the Ukrainian special-forces reconnaissance group in the area who is also a Voznesensk resident said Russian troops did not expect the Ukrainians to be strong “We didn’t have a single tank against them Javelin missiles and the help of artillery,” he told WSJ “The Russians didn’t expect us to be so strong they would have cut off the whole south of Ukraine.” according to Voznesensk’s mayor Yevheni Velichko by working with local businessmen who dug up the shores of the Mertvovod river that cuts through the town so armoured personnel vehicles couldn’t go past Quarry and construction business owners were brought in to block off streets and channel the Russian column into areas that would be easier to hit with artillery Russian soldiers also took up civilians homes and used them to set up sniper positions Volunteers with territorial defence force worked with the Ukrainian military to give coordinates that would help direct military fire towards the Russians Officials said that though the town of 35,000 people were mostly Russian speakers there was widespread support against the invasion of Ukraine which helped their fight “Everyone is united against the common enemy,” Mr Velichko was quoted as saying When the Russian troops retreated from the area Voznesensk district council Spartak Hukasian said the city was no longer near front lines and was limping back to normalcy “We haven’t had a chance to laugh until now.” Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies govt and politics","score":0.747583},{"label":"/law govt and politics/armed forces/army","score":0.736058},{"label":"/law report claims","description":"Two-day battle in Voznesensk Russia says the army has destroyed three Soviet-era warplanes in an operation against a Ukrainian air base in the south of the country The Defense Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that the warplanes were stationed at Ukraine’s Voznesensk airfield in Nikolaev Region The operation was conducted using tactical aircraft the ministry said without providing further details The latest operation brought the total number of Ukrainian aircraft to 580 since Russia launched its “special military operation” in the country in February 2022 The ministry also said that the Russian army destroyed a guidance radar array three S--300 anti-aircraft missile system launchers and two ammunition warehouses They also damaged a storage facility for unmanned aerial vehicles in Ukraine the Ukrainian forces and its military equipment were targeted in 126 areas Russia has shot down 270 helicopters and 17,951 drones since the start of the war Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said late last year that the country’s forces had received new military systems which at the time allowed them to shoot down 24 Ukrainian planes in just five days A report by TASS news agency said later that Russia had used an S-400 Triumph air defense system Ukraine’s jet fleet is believed to consist mainly of Soviet-era Su-27 and MiG-29 fighters as well as a handful of Su-25 close air support planes The country has lost much of its air force during the war with Russia Kiev has consistently pursued the acquisition of F-16s from NATO member states Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said earlier this week that the warplanes will appear in skies over Ukraine in midsummer Russia has warned the West against sending the nuclear-capable jets to Ukraine saying the move would be an “unacceptable escalation” of the current conflict Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses: www.presstv.co.uk Click the "share" button in the bottom bar the deputies at the session did not support the dismissal of the secretary of the city council Victoriia Baltser who is suspected of embezzling funds during the purchase of goods for the military Now she has been removed from her post by a court decision As «NikVesti» wrote, the issue of dismissal of the secretary of the city council Victoria Baltser due to improper performance of duties was brought up for consideration at the session of the Voznesensk city council The explanatory note states that the decision is issued in connection with the excess of authority in relation to functional duties and violation of the requirements of the current legislation the deputies did not support this decision and Victoriia Baltser remained in office who has already been suspended from his post as well as executive committee affairs manager Yana Siniavska and chief accountant of the executive committee Viktoriia Morozova are on the case together with her As noted in the decision of the October District Court of the Mykolaiv region Victoriia Baltser developed a plan to embezzle funds «together with currently unidentified officials.» She managed and coordinated the actions of other suspects in the case It is worth noting that in addition to the chief accountant of the executive committee one more specialist of the accounting department is indicated in the court documents the case materials mention two persons not from the staff of the executive committee of the Voznesensk City Council who were engaged in the search for the necessary goods for purchase and advised others on procurement issues Victoriia Baltser received a letter from the military unit for the purchase of goods for the military: the case materials indicate that the volunteers will pay for the services of 20 satellite communication systems the damage caused by the suspects was calculated — 1 million 88 thousand 266 hryvnias The police investigator indicated that Victoria Baltser continues to perform the duties of the secretary and can destroy or forge things and documents that are essential for the pre-trial investigation After reviewing all the case materials and taking into account the risks the court made a decision to suspend Victoriia Baltser from October 18 to November 4 We will remind that on May 4, the SSU detained the vice-mayor of Voznesensk Andrii Zhukov and two other officials The deputy mayor is suspected of embezzlement during the purchase of defense products On September 18, it became known about the appointment of a new deputy mayor for the activities of the council's executive bodies Liliia Bondarenko will replace the detained Andrii Zhukov the Voznesensk City Council voted to remove the secretary of the city council Relevant decisions are published on the website of the city council as well as executive committee affairs manager Yana Syniavska and chief accountant of the executive committee Viktoriia Morozova are on the case together with her The session of the Voznesensk City Council, which took place on October 13 already brought up the issue of dismissing the secretary of the city council Victoriia Baltser due to improper performance of duties the deputies voted for the removal of Victoriia Baltser and Yana Syniavska We remind that on May 4, the SSU detained the vice-mayor of Voznesensk Andrii Zhukov and two other officials The Mykolaiv Regional Prosecutor's Office said this in a Telegram post "Under the procedural guidance of the Mykolaiv Regional Prosecutor's Office a pre-trial investigation has been launched in criminal proceedings regarding the violation of the laws and customs of war (Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine)," the report said military personnel of the aggressor country disregarding the norms of international humanitarian law launched a missile attack on the city of Voznesensk An enemy rocket hit a five-story residential building as well as nearby private houses and vehicles There are no military facilities in this area While citing and using any materials on the Internet links to the website ukrinform.net not lower than the first paragraph are mandatory citing the translated materials of foreign media outlets is possible only if there is a link to the website ukrinform.net and the website of a foreign media outlet Materials marked as "Advertisement" or with a disclaimer reading "The material has been posted in accordance with Part 3 of Article 9 of the Law of Ukraine "On Advertising" No 1996 and the Law of Ukraine "On the Media" No 2023 and on the basis of an agreement/invoice Online media entity; Media identifier - R40-01421 You don't have permissions to access this page The Sunday TimesTwo days before the Russians came the citizen warriors of Voznesensk gathered for a military briefing Several armoured Russian columns were approaching and the Ukrainian military was preparing its defence of the town which lies at a critical point on the overland approach to Odesa The locals were preparing a grim welcome party. Almost 100 civilians volunteered to fight and defend their city alongside the army and local territorial guard, risking their lives for a David versus Goliath battle that has come to symbolise the Ukrainian resistance to Putin’s invasion These military novices had little in the way of training or weaponry Others had assembled Molotov cocktails and there were a few Kalashnikovs Ukrainian service members speak to each other in front of a residential building damaged by a Russian military strike tweeted something purportedly about Volodymyr Zelensky was John Simpson – how many world leaders he had interviewed (200) and less prone to foreground himself at the expense of his interviewees He is just as likely to be on receive as transmit and understands that he is not the story Stubborn Town showcases his storytelling talents Unlike most of the current crop of books about Ukraine this pleasingly slim volume takes the narrowest focus It is not a general history and nor does it dwell at length on the fraught and complicated story of Russia-Ukraine relations It is instead the stirring tale of how one small southern town took it upon itself with a motley collection of defenders young and old a farming community in the Mykolaiv region That places it directly on the intended Russian route to the port city of Odesa whose capture would have given Moscow control of the Black Sea coast When news breaks that the Russians have invaded Ukraine setting up a makeshift civil defence team in short order Justin Marozzi is the author of The Arab Conquests: the Spread of Islam and the First Caliphates Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3 Already a subscriber? Log in Read about the successful counter-sniper operation the counter-offensive in the Kharkiv sector and the "boy's fight" in Voznesensk in an interview with the 95th Brigade sniper platoon commander for RBC-Ukraine A sniper is a mysterious joker who controls the battlefield And all to make the work of infantrymen easier His work is risky because the slightest exposure of a position means the enemy will level that place to the ground RBC-Ukraine managed to talk to the sniper platoon commander of the 95th Air Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who spoke about the successful organization of a counter-sniper operation as well as why a sniper must be talkative and what happens when you "play around" with a rifle the agency does not disclose the name and call sign of the soldier This is a nationalist organization that is engaged in both social activities and the organization of training We were trained by instructors who had combat experience in Abkhazia and Chechnya It all started with the defense of Voznesensk Our brigade took up the defense along the Southern Bug River We mined the bridges and did everything right And it was then that I had my first face-to-face encounter I did not expect this: that an enemy column would just come in They did not even realize how they got there They were driving in like an "army on a cigarette" Then our guys shouted that they were Z-rations and we started to hit them The artillery was not heavily involved then I started shooting at the APCs to just "nightmare" them There were a lot of maneuvers in the south All attempts to storm it were crushed by artillery Then we were transferred to Novovoznesensk We stayed there for a month and held our positions well It was a battle for the Bakhmut-Lysychansk highway I got a concussion there: I decided to fight with Uragan "We raided the enemy's rear in the Kharkiv direction" provide more data so that we could make a breakthrough When the battalions were collecting all the information we were collecting data with the scouts in the area of Balakliya we immediately got out of the habit: we left the cars and ran to the basement We sat there and waited: "Where is the shelling it can't be so." We thought that this direction had the prospect of an offensive I believe that this is practically nothing It was not like that in the Kharkiv direction Sniper platoon commander of the 95th Air Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (RBC-Ukraine) So we prepared and broke through to the Oskil River we forced the river and started pushing the enemy closer to Borova A little more and we could have pinned them there That's when I realized that when our artillery is working hard I saw how we were hitting them the same way they were hitting us I watched all this and thought: "This is how real operations work." I see if I can't work as a sniper if the distance is long or the conditions are unfavorable but there are unfavorable conditions for sniper work It happens that you arrive at the position and the enemy is 2 kilometers away hitting the enemy at 2 km is something out of the realm of fantasy When snipers were used without thinking about it they won't let a Grad package go off on you" A sniper takes a long time to train: three years to call himself a sniper and then another year to become a good shot And when you invest so many resources in him you definitely don't want to lose him because he gets carried away The first quality a sniper should have is to talk a lot People are convinced that he is a closed-minded person He has to scout the situation as much as possible to understand the situation He comes to the company's COP and also learns the information Then he goes to the soldiers with whom he has to communicate and find out what they saw He gathers as much data as possible to analyze there is no such thing as a sniper not being interested in soldiers the man climbed a house and did it in the most stupid way possible and then I saw a man looking through binoculars and talking on the phone selecting targets is not necessary in modern warfare there is no such specialist who would say that he is not interested in soldiers I was thinking of going out to shoot at 1600 meters And when we were making a path through the acacia trees I looked at them with my rangefinder at 1200 meters and the other one just lay down and started shooting with his machine gun in the direction of the village You always have to assess the operational situation around you "The best counter-sniping is good artillery" It's about finding out where the sniper is working and leveling that place to the ground Because if an enemy sniper is already working and the task is to find him But he is already in position and waiting for you we successfully planned a counter-sniper operation My guys were going after a sniper who had already hit our soldiers Our task is to make it as easy as possible for the infantrymen you need to assess who is standing opposite you" my subordinates are using FPV drones a lot it was possible to drive a car as close to the positions as possible and then hide the car even with these drones that search for a target The transportation and general logistics of the positions have become much more difficult It is very important to me who is standing opposite But if you compare their motorized riflemen and the Airborne Forces I also take into account how often and densely enemy artillery hits these positions Whether these positions have already been identified or not there are times when there can be hits even without detecting the target simply because of the density of artillery the great mobilization will happen to all men" Military men who participated in combat are traumatized It is a society that must take responsibility I don't know where it came from that a military man should support society This is a direct transfer of duties and responsibilities all men will have to go through a large-scale mobilization Every man should come and learn while he has time About the chevron "There will be no rotation we were hoping that we would fight for 8 months and then go home But it turns out that we are here all the time This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page were wounded Saturday after Russian forces attacked an apartment block and several houses in the city of Voznesensk 12 people including three children were injured Two children are in a serious condition," the prosecutor's office said on Telegram Regional governor Vitaly Kim had earlier said on Telegram that nine people were injured including four children aged between three and 17 Voznesensk is located about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the nuclear plant at Pivdennoukrainsk A Russian strike in the 30 kilometre zone around the plant "is another cynical act of nuclear terrorism by Russia" Ukraine's nuclear operator Energoatom wrote on Telegram "It cannot be ruled out that this missile was fired in the direction of the Pivdenukrynsk power station which the Russian military already tried to seize in early March."  The strikes hit an apartment building and several homes in the city The terrorist country called Russia hit a residential building," presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak said on Telegram The Ukrainian army meanwhile said they had downed four Kalibr high-precision sea-launched cruise missiles fired from the Black Sea near the central city of Dnipro a city in the Kherson region which has been occupied by Russia said the Ukrainian army had bombed a Russian military base in the city The Ukrainian army meanwhile reported Russian attacks in the eastern Donetsk region -- which has been partially controlled by Russian proxies since 2014 -- saying "fighting is continuing" please register for free or log in to your account.