Ukraine experienced another heavy day of fighting with the Russians focusing efforts on the capital city of Kyiv.
While nearly the entirety of Ukraine was under fire on Thursday, the attacks on Kyiv were particularly notable because the attack happened when the leader of the United Nations (UN) was in the city touring the area and meeting with Ukrainian leaders.
According to rescue officials, at least one person lost their life with several injuries reported from Thursday’s attacks, CBS News reports.
Russia positioned the attacks in the northwest Shevchenkivsky district. The attacks on Kyiv were also surprising to many because the Russian forces had abandoned efforts to seize control of the city a few weeks ago.
Many residents have returned to the city in recent weeks as businesses reopened after the Russian military left the area to focus on taking control of the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine.
ABC News reports the onslaught on Kyiv occurred approximately one hour following a joint news conference between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Guterres said that Ukraine had turned into “an epicenter of unbearable heartache and pain” during the conference.
Guterres spent his time in Kyiv touring the worst of the damage in the small towns that surround the capital. The secretary-general was exposed to the tragedies of mass killings in towns such as Bucha on his tour of the battered region. A Guterres spokesperson said the secretary-general and his team were safe, ABC reports.
Kyiv was not the only city rocked by explosives on Thursday. The city of Chernihiv in the western tier of the nation near the border of Belarus reported an explosion in a railway hub. The mayor of Odesa said that the southern city had to intercept rockets fired its way.
Additionally, there were intense shelling reported in the heavily-hit eastern region of Donbas.
The Kremlin has been vocal about its objective to take over the eastern region of Ukraine, continuing its offensive in this part of the country to establish a corridor between Russia and Crimea.
It was another dismal day in the besieged port city of Mariupol, located in the southeastern corner of Ukraine. Ukrainian forces are still resisting the Russian offensive. However, they are losing ground quickly. In addition, local authorities are warning that a lack of safe drinking water may cause even more issues, including outbreaks of dysentery and cholera.
Civilians continue to pour out of Mariupol to flee the ruins. The way station of Zaporizhzhia came under a rocket attack, injuring an 11-year-old boy along with at least two others. Officials estimate that approximately 100,000 civilians are still trapped in Mariupol, adding a sense of urgency to the evacuations.
