POLTAVA:Russia launched a deadly barrage of missiles and drones at Ukraine on Saturday, resulting in the deaths of 12 people, according to Ukrainian officials. Moscow claimed that its forces were advancing toward the key city of Toretsk in the eastern Donetsk region, which has been a target for months. The capture of Toretsk would allow Russia to block critical Ukrainian supply routes.
The Russian Ministry of Defence announced the “liberation” of the village of Krymske, located in the northeastern suburbs of Toretsk.
Despite US President Donald Trump’s pledge to achieve a ceasefire within 24 hours of taking office on January 20, fighting in the region continues to intensify with no signs of de-escalation.
Russian strikes on central and eastern Ukraine overnight and into Saturday morning killed at least 12 people, including eight in Poltava, where a missile hit a residential building. Among the casualties was a child, and emergency services published images showing firefighters sifting through the charred remains of the building.
The ongoing conflict has also escalated tensions over military mobilization within Ukraine. Earlier on Saturday, a man armed with a hunting rifle killed a Ukrainian army recruitment officer and abducted a conscript, though both individuals were later apprehended. While attacks on recruitment offices are rare, similar incidents have occurred in both Ukraine and Russia.
Additionally, an explosion at a Ukrainian army recruitment center in Rivne, a city in western Ukraine, killed one person and wounded six others. Authorities did not specify the cause of the explosion.
