Kyiv: Britain has become the first Western country to offer long-sought heavy tanks to Ukraine, Ukraine reported Saturday fresh barrage of Russian missiles and civilian deaths.
Moscow reacted quickly to the British action, warning that it would only "intensify" the conflict. Meanwhile, Moldova claimed fragments of the most recent Russian missiles landed on its soil and condemned the attacks.
A day after Russia claimed it had taken control of the devastated eastern city of Soledar after a long battle, Ukraine insisted on Saturday that fighting was continuing there.
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After several defeats in the army, Moscow would consider victory there a rare achievement. As the nation celebrated the Old New Year, a popular holiday in Ukraine, Ukrainian officials condemned the most recent round of deadly Russian missile strikes across the country.
An attack on an apartment building in the eastern city of Dnipro resulted in at least 12 deaths and 64 injuries, including a 15-year-old girl, according to Dnipropetrovsk governor Valentin Reznichenko on the messaging service Telegram.
"The fate of 26 people is still unknown," he continued, noting that seven children, the youngest of whom was three years old, were among the injured.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later commented: "It is not yet known how many people are under the rubble. Sadly, the death toll is rising every hour." Demanded that Russia be kicked out of the UN Security Council.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, promised earlier on Saturday that his country would be the first Western country to send the heavy tank, requesting Kyiv for the Challenger 2.
The Russian Embassy in the UK immediately issued a warning, saying that "bringing tanks into the conflict zone will only serve to intensify combat operations, causing more casualties, including civilian populations."
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However, Zelensky argued that the only way to stop the Russian "terror" was on the battlefield in his speech on Saturday evening. On our land, in our sky, and in our sea, he declared, "It can be done and must be done."
Ukraine's neighbor to the southwest, Moldova, on Saturday reported finding missile debris on its soil following the most recent Russian strikes.
President Maia Sandu tweeted about the destruction and posted photos of it, saying "Russia's brutal war against Ukraine directly affects Moldova again." "We strongly condemn today's escalated attacks."
Ukraine's energy infrastructure operator Ukrainergo said it was attempting to "eliminate the consequences" of the most recent Russian attacks.
AFP reporters heard several explosions in Kyiv, and Ukrainian officials said a power plant was under attack. The Kyiv city administration reported that "there is one hit to the infrastructure facility without serious destruction or fire."
Oleg Sinegubov, the governor of the northeastern Kharkiv region, claimed that "the enemy launched another missile attack on vital infrastructure and industrial facilities."
Due to the recent attacks in "most regions" of Ukraine on Saturday, emergency blackouts were implemented, according to Germany's Energy Minister Galushchenko.
Additionally, there were reports of attacks from the southern Zaporizhzhya region. Zelensky claimed that out of more than 30 missiles fired by Russia, Ukraine was able to intercept 20 of them. "Unfortunately, energy infrastructure facilities have also been affected," he added, adding that Kharkiv and Kyiv are the most affected.
Soledar, a salt mining outpost that Russia claimed to have captured despite denials from Ukraine, was still unidentified. The battle for the town resulted in heavy casualties on both sides.
Ukraine's military governor in the restive city of Donetsk insisted on Saturday that "Ukrainian authorities control Soledar; our army controls it." He added that "the fighting takes place both inside and outside the city."
He was responding to statements by the Russian Defense Ministry on Friday that Soledar had been "completely freed" the day before. Intense fighting has now reduced the industrial city, which had a pre-war population of around 10,000, to ruins.
As Russian forces advance towards the nearby transport hub of Bakhmut, which has been their primary objective since October, taking Soledar could strengthen their position.
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Turkiye announced on Saturday that he was ready to advocate for a local ceasefire in Ukraine and issued a warning that neither Moscow nor Kyiv have the military capability needed to "win the war".
Ibrahim Kalin, an adviser on foreign policy to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, acknowledged that it does not appear that the warring sides will be ready to reach a "comprehensive peace agreement" in the near future.