Moscow [Russia], August 4: The past hours have witnessed a significant escalation in the air attacks exchanged between Russia and Ukraine.
The Russian defence ministry said in its daily report on Telegram that its air defence units destroyed 93 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 60 over the waters of the Black Sea.
More than 120 firefighters were trying to extinguish a blaze at an oil depot in the Russian city of Sochi that was sparked by a Ukrainian drone attack, regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said early on Sunday on the Telegram messaging app.
In the Krasnodar region on the Black Sea where Sochi is located, a fuel tank with a capacity of 2,000 cubic metres (70,000 cubic feet) was on fire, Russia's RIA news agency reported, citing emergency officials.
On the night of August 3, explosions were heard in Chuhuiv and Balakliia in the Kharkiv region due to Russian airstrikes, resulting in casualties and destruction.
According to Ukrinform, this was reported by the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, Oleh Syniehubov, on Telegram.
"Explosions were heard in the cities of Chuhuiv and Balakliya. Private houses caught fire as a result of these strikes," the report said.
"One of the city's neighborhoods with private buildings has just been hit by strikes. Windows have been broken, and roofs have been damaged. We have three women who have suffered acute stress reactions," Chuhuiv Mayor Galina Minaeva reported on Telegram.
The International Atomic Energy Agency team at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant recorded explosions and smoke coming from one of the auxiliary facilities near the plant site on Saturday.
According to Ukrinform, citing an IAEA report, this was announced by the agency's Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.
According to him, representatives of the ZNPP administration informed the IAEA that the facility had been under fire since 9:00 a.m., including artillery and drones.
The auxiliary facility is located 1,200 meters from the ZNPP site. It is noted that smoke was visible from that direction in the afternoon.
The incident was the latest in a series of events in recent weeks and months that, according to the IAEA, "once again highlights the potential threats to nuclear safety in the context of the armed conflict at the ZNPP."
"Any attack near a nuclear power plant... poses a potential threat to nuclear safety and must be avoided," said the director general. "I once again call for maximum military restraint near nuclear facilities to prevent the risk of a nuclear accident."
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported 104 combat engagements have taken place, with 28 of them occurring in the Pokrovsk sector.
These developments followed Ukrainian President's address last night.
Ukraine's long-range operations on Russian territory will continue. As Russia prolongs the war, it will face just responses.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in his Saturday evening address.
Source: Emirates News Agency
