A series of large explosions rocked the capital Kiev

A column of black smoke rises over Kiev on June 5, after the warning sirens of air strikes – Photo: REUTERS

“There have been explosions in the Darnytsky and Dniprovsky districts of Kiev. Firefighters are working to put out the fire,” Kiev mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram shortly after an air strike alert sounded in Kiev and some parts of the country. neighboring cities at dawn 5-6 (local time).

Energoatom, the governing body for nuclear power plants of Ukraine, said one of the Russian cruise missiles flew over the Pivdennoukrainska plant at an “extremely low” altitude. Pivdennoukrainska is Ukraine’s second largest nuclear plant, located near the Mykolaiv region, about 350km south of Kiev.

According to Reuters news agency, the Kiev airstrikes took place in the context of Russia’s concentration of forces controlling the city of Severodonetsk in Lugansk province.

The incident shows that while focusing on the front in Donbass, Russia has not forgotten its objectives in Kiev, after withdrawing ground forces from northern Ukraine at the end of March.

“The situation in Severodonetsk, where street fighting continues, is still extremely difficult,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video message broadcast late on Wednesday.

According to the Ukrainian leader, cities in the Donbass are suffering from “continuous air strikes and shelling” from Russia but Ukrainian forces are still holding their positions.

Severodonetsk is the largest city still in Ukrainian hands in Lugansk, where Russian forces have been gradually establishing control in recent weeks, according to Reuters.

The Russian military claims some Ukrainian military units are withdrawing from Severodonetsk, but mayor Oleksandr Striuk said Ukrainian forces are still fighting to retake control of the city.

“Our soldiers are looking to redeploy forces and build defenses,” Striuk said in an interview broadcast on Telegram on June 4. We are doing everything necessary to re-establish control of the whole city.”

Earlier, the governor of the Lugansk region Sergiy Gaidai said that Russian forces had captured most of Severodonetsk but Ukrainian forces were pushing them back.

“The Russian army, as we understand it, is channeling all its strength and reserves in this direction. The Russians are blowing up the bridges so we can’t reinforce the Ukrainian boys who are in Severodonetsk.” – Mr. Gaidai stated the situation.