Ukraine has claimed a big breakthrough in its fight against the Russian invasion by retaking both banks of a key river.
It says it has pushed Moscow’s forces away from the Oskil River in the Kharkiv region where it has recaptured large areas of land in recent weeks.
The river is strategically important because it flows south through Luhansk province, part of the heavily contested eastern Donbas area.
Jubilant Luhansk governor Serhiy Gaidai said: “De-occupation is not far away” and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky promised “no lull” in the battle to reclaim territory.
Meanwhile, Russian forces struck the Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear power plant in Ukraine ’s southern Mykolaiv region but its reactors have not been damaged and are working normally, Ukraine’s state nuclear company said.
A “powerful explosion” just 300 yards from the reactors broke more than 100 windows in the complex.
The attack also damaged power plant buildings, a nearby hydroelectric power plant and transmission lines.
The complex on the Bug River 190 miles south of Kyiv is Ukraine’s second-largest nuclear power plant.
Europe’s largest plant at Zaporizhzhia, 155 miles east of the Mykolaiv site, was shut down earlier this month due to Russian shelling.
The UK Ministry of Defence said Russia has probably lost at least four combat jets in Ukraine within the last 10 days, taking the total number destroyed in the war to around 55.
A spokesman said it was likely Russian pilots were being forced to take greater risks supporting ground forces in Ukrainian territory.
The Russian army, seeking contract soldiers for what it calls its “special military operation”, is using recruiting trucks to attract volunteers, offering nearly £3,000 a month as an incentive.
Other reports claimed that 400 Russian prisoners had been sent to join army units.
