Ukraine hits hotel hosting Russian military

The exiled mayor of Melitopol said that as many as 200 Russian troops were ‘roasted’ in the devastating attack.

Ukraine’s artillery has been targeting Russian forces with long-range strikes. Picture: AFP

Kyiv’s military demolished a hotel complex hosting dozens of Russian military personnel overnight with U.S.-supplied long-range artillery, while more Russian drone strikes continued to destroy Ukraine’s electricity grid.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 1.5 million people in Ukraine’s southern Odessa region were left without power after strikes late Saturday. Only critical infrastructure was connected to the power grid, he said, adding that restoring service could take longer than after previous attacks.

Air-raid sirens continued to sound in Ukraine on Sunday as Russia launched more strikes.

Footage of the Ukrainian artillery strike against a hotel in the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol showed burning buildings as well as dead and wounded Russian soldiers among the wreckage. Russian and Ukrainian social-media channels said there were dozens of casualties but gave varying death tolls.

Himars targeted and hit a Wagner' PMC barrack's hotel complex in #Melitopol only 3 badly wounded and rest 300+ eliminated instantly💀☠ pic.twitter.com/9HWFQcr4Uj

— АЗОВ South (@Azovsouth) December 11, 2022

The exiled Ukrainian mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, wrote on his Telegram channel that as many as 200 Russian troops were “roasted” in the strike. The Russian-installed governor of the region said dozens were wounded and two killed.

Ukraine has been using U.S.-supplied long-range artillery, or Himars, to try to break up Russian troop concentrations behind the front lines so that Moscow can’t manoeuvre its forces for an attack. The strike on the hotel complex in Melitopol, located in southeastern Ukraine about 50 miles (80km) from the Sea of Azov, appeared to be at the limit of the range of the Himars munitions supplied by the U.S.

But Ukraine has so far been able to mount only a limited defence against Moscow’s campaign of missile and drone attacks.

Missile strikes late Saturday that hit around Ukraine’s southern port city of Odessa “were critical,” Mr. Zelensky said in his nightly address.

“This is the true attitude of Russia toward Odessa, toward Odessa residents — deliberate bullying, deliberate attempt to bring disaster to the city,” he said.

Kadyrov's "favorite" nephew, Murad Saidov, who was recently installed as the "Supervisor" of Melitopol' (head of the Chechen Mafia there), was killed on yesterday's strike on Melitopol pic.twitter.com/pyt7DwPuHH

— AlexandruC4 (@AlexandruC4) December 11, 2022

Odessa regional officials didn’t say what exactly had been hit, but wrote on Facebook that repairing the damage could take two or three months. DTEK, one of the country’s largest energy companies, said almost the entire region was without power late Saturday, and that utility workers were giving priority to reconnecting hospitals and other critical infrastructure to the grid.

“The situation in the energy sector of Odessa region remains difficult,” DTEK wrote on Facebook. “According to preliminary forecasts, it will take much more time to restore energy facilities in the Odessa region than in the previous times after enemy shelling.”

Ukrainian leaders have repeatedly accused Russia of weaponizing the onset of winter to affect the civilian population and compel Kyiv to withdraw from its positions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last week acknowledged doing so and vowed to continue. “There’s a lot of noise about our strikes on the energy infrastructure of a neighbouring country,” Mr. Putin said. “Yes, we do that.”

Officials encouraged Odessa residents to go to government-established centres, which have power generators,

to warm up and charge devices.

The massive explosion in #Melitopol occurred just outside a local church. It seems Russian forces occupied a sprawling, resort like complex complete with spa, relaxing fountain, and cable TV. Unclear how long they were housed there.

Now? Its a huge hole in the ground. pic.twitter.com/S8lh4y5rvs

— The Intel Crab (@IntelCrab) December 10, 2022

In addition, Germany said it would donate 470 electric generators, at a cost of about $20mn.

The attack on Odessa over the weekend suggested that Moscow has replenished its supply of drones following several weeks in which they had disappeared from Ukrainian skies.

Meanwhile, Russia continued to step up its shelling of Kherson after withdrawing from the southern regional capital last month. Shelling hit critical infrastructure in the city on Saturday night, said regional governor Yaroslav Yanushevych. A day earlier, shelling killed two people and injured eight others.

Ukrainian forces, meanwhile, fired at Russian positions across the Dnipro River from inside the city. The sound of rockets whistled through neighbourhoods near the river.

Fierce fighting also continued in the area around Bakhmut, eastern Ukraine. Russian forces are attempting to regain the city, which they occupied in the early days of the invasion and into the summer before a Ukrainian counteroffensive drove them further into eastern Ukraine.

Many of the Russian personnel who were withdrawn from Kherson in the fall were redeployed to the east to bolster the Russian push toward Bakhmut, where trenches and other fortifications now resemble those seen in World War I.

The Wall Street Journal