Ukraine says Russians shell evacuation convoy, killing 20

A elder Ukrainian authoritative says Russian forces connected Saturday shelled a civilian evacuation convoy successful the country's northeast, sidesplitting 20 people. Bombardments person intensified arsenic Moscow illegally annexed a swath of Ukrainian territory successful a crisp escalation of the war.

Kharkiv portion Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said the convoy was struck successful the Kupiansy district, calling the onslaught connected radical who were trying to fly the country to debar being shelled "сruelty that can't beryllium justified."

Russian forces person not acknowledged oregon commented connected the attack, seemingly the 2nd successful 2 days to deed a humanitarian convoy. Russian troops person retreated from overmuch of the Kharkiv portion aft a palmy Ukrainian counteroffensive past period but continued to ammunition the area.

The onslaught comes astatine a pivotal infinitesimal successful Russian President Vladimir Putin's war. Facing a Ukrainian counteroffensive, Putin this week heightened threats of atomic unit and utilized his astir aggressive, anti-Western rhetoric to date.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his subject vowed to support warring to liberate the annexed regions and different Russian-occupied areas.

Ukrainian officials said Saturday that their forces had surrounded thousands of Russian forces holding the strategical eastbound metropolis of Lyman, which is located successful 1 of the 4 incorporated areas. Zelenskyy formally applied Friday for Ukraine to articulation NATO, expanding unit connected Western allies to assistance support the country.

Also Saturday, Ukraine's atomic powerfulness supplier said that Russian forces blindfolded and detained the caput of Europe's largest atomic plant. It appeared to beryllium an effort to unafraid Moscow's clasp connected the recently annexed territory.

Russian forces seized the director-general of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Ihor Murashov, astir 4 p.m. Friday, Ukrainian authorities atomic institution Energoatom said. That was conscionable hours aft Putin signed treaties to sorb Moscow-controlled Ukrainian territory into Russia, including the country astir the atomic plant.

Energoatom said Russian troops stopped Murashov's car, blindfolded him and past took him to an undisclosed location.

Russia did not instantly admit seizing the works director. The International Atomic Energy Agency, which has unit astatine the plant, said it was alert of the reports of Murashov's capture, and had contacted Russian authorities for clarification connected what happened.

"His detention by (Russia) jeopardizes the information of Ukraine and Europe's largest atomic powerfulness plant," said Energoatom President Petro Kotin said, demanding the director's contiguous release.

The powerfulness works repeatedly has been caught successful the crossfire of the warfare successful Ukraine. Ukrainian technicians continued moving it aft Russian troops seized the powerfulness station, and its past reactor was unopen down successful September arsenic a precautionary measurement amid ongoing shelling nearby.

Amid increasing planetary sanctions and condemnation of Russia, a Ukrainian counteroffensive that has embarrassed the Kremlin appeared connected the verge of retaking much ground.

A Ukrainian authoritative said Saturday that the Russian-occupied metropolis of Lyman was surrounded, with immoderate 5,000 Russian forces trapped there. Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Haidai claimed that each routes to resupply Russian forces successful Lyman were blocked.

"The occupiers asked their enactment for the accidental to leave, which they refused," Haidai said successful a tv interview. "Now they person 3 options: to effort to interruption through, to surrender oregon to dice together."

His claims could not instantly beryllium verified. Russia has not confirmed its forces were chopped off, and Russian analysts had said Moscow was sending much troops to the area.

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based deliberation tank, said Ukraine apt volition retake Lyman successful the coming days.

Citing Russian reports, the institute said it appeared Russian forces were retreating from Lyman, immoderate 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city. That corresponds to online videos purportedly showing immoderate Russian forces falling backmost arsenic a Ukrainian worker said they had reached Lyman's outskirts.

It said Ukraine besides was making "incremental" gains astir Kupiansk and the eastbound slope of the Oskil River, which became a cardinal beforehand enactment since the Ukrainian counteroffensive regained power of the Kharkiv portion successful September.

The Russian service struck the confederate Ukrainian metropolis of Mykolaiv doubly overnight, erstwhile with drones and the 2nd clip with missiles, according to determination Gov. Vitaliy Kim. The archetypal onslaught was conducted with Iranian Shahed-136 kamikaze drones and the 2nd with S-300 missiles, helium said connected Telegram.

One of the rockets deed a five-story flat gathering successful the metropolis center, portion windows of the surrounding houses were blown out. In different portion of the city, a backstage location and a two-story residential gathering suffered extended damage. Five radical were injured, including a 3-month-old baby, Kim said.

In its heaviest barrage successful weeks, Russia's subject connected Friday pounded Ukrainian cities with missiles, rockets and termination drones, with 1 onslaught successful the Zaporizhzhia region's superior sidesplitting 30 and wounding 88.

In a regular quality briefing Saturday, the British Defense Ministry said the Russians "almost certainly" struck a humanitarian convoy determination with S-300 anti-aircraft missiles. Russia is progressively utilizing anti-aircraft missiles to behaviour attacks connected the crushed apt owed to a deficiency of munitions, the British subject said.

"Russia is expending strategically invaluable subject assets successful attempts to execute tactical vantage and successful the process is sidesplitting civilians it present claims are its ain citizens," it said.

The onslaught came portion Putin was preparing to motion the annexation treaties, which included the Zaporizhzhia region. Russian-installed officials successful Zaporizhzhia blamed Ukrainian forces, but gave nary evidence.

Russia present claims sovereignty implicit 15% of Ukraine, successful what NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called "the largest attempted annexation of European territory by unit since the Second World War." The NATO main was gathering Saturday with Denmark's premier curate amid investigations into explosions connected Russian pipelines successful the Baltic Sea.