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We have some more details on the Russian claim it has seized the city of Melitopol, from the Guardian’s Peter Beaumont, in Lviv.
Russian forces reportedly captured the southeastern Ukrainian city of Melitopol on Saturday, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported. Footage posted on social media on Saturday morning appeared to show Russian armoured vehicles in the streets of the city although the city’s mayor issued a statement saying it remained under Ukrainian control.
The claimed capture of Melitopol follows claims by a senior US defence official that Russia had made an amphibious landing of naval infantry between the Melitopol and the key coastal city of Mariaupol.
It was also denied by UK armed forces minister James Heappey who said he did “not recognise reports that Ukrainian southern coastal city of Melitopol has fallen to Russian forces, adding that the Russian invasion plan is running “nowhere near” to schedule.”
Ukrainian officials were not immediately available for comment on the fate of Melitopol, a city of about 150,000 people. If confirmed, it would be the first significant population centre the Russians have seized since their invasion began on Thursday.
Earlier, Ukrainian officials said Russian forces fired cruise missiles from the Black Sea at Mariupol, as well as Sumy in the northeast and Poltava in the east.
Russian forces reportedly captured the southeastern Ukrainian city of Melitopol on Saturday, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported. Footage posted on social media on Saturday morning appeared to show Russian armoured vehicles in the streets of the city although the city’s mayor issued a statement saying it remained under Ukrainian control.
The claimed capture of Melitopol follows claims by a senior US defence official that Russia had made an amphibious landing of naval infantry between the Melitopol and the key coastal city of Mariaupol.
It was also denied by UK armed forces minister James Heappey who said he did “not recognise reports that Ukrainian southern coastal city of Melitopol has fallen to Russian forces, adding that the Russian invasion plan is running “nowhere near” to schedule.”
Ukrainian officials were not immediately available for comment on the fate of Melitopol, a city of about 150,000 people. If confirmed, it would be the first significant population centre the Russians have seized since their invasion began on Thursday.
Earlier, Ukrainian officials said Russian forces fired cruise missiles from the Black Sea at Mariupol, as well as Sumy in the northeast and Poltava in the east.
