Ukraine’s forces are targeting the Kinburn Spit, Vladimir Putin’s only remaining outpost in Mykholaiv, which acts as a gateway to the Black Sea and Russian-held parts of Kherson.
The key battlefield development was acknowledged by Ukraine’s military, with a spokesperson saying Kyiv is “continuing a military operation” in the area – which has been used by Moscow as a staging ground for strikes against Ukrainian troops seeking to retake their territory in the south.
Russia has faced monumental setbacks in its nearly nine-month war, and in a rare move, the Kremlin said that Mr Putin would meet the mothers of Russian soldiers who are fighting in Ukraine for the first time as Russia celebrates Mother’s Day this weekend.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities warned that Moscow’s renewed assault on its energy infrastructure has caused “colossal” damage, meaning that millions of Ukrainians are most likely to live with blackouts until at least the end of March.
Fighting also continued near the Donetsk city of Bakhmut, while president Volodymyr Zelensky’s office alleged that Russian strikes across eight regions killed at least eight civilians.
