On March 30, reports coming out of the city of Melitopol alerted of an attack that damaged infrastructure and knocked out power to the city and the surrounding villages. The city’s former mayor confirmed that there were reports of explosions and contrails in the area during the night.
Melitopol serves as a logistic and railway hub in the southern region of Ukraine. The Russians have used this area to direct supplies, relocate troops, and store weaponry for front-line use, as the city is roughly 50 miles from the front lines, which puts it just outside of the range of Ukrainian HIMARs.
This attack comes after rumors of a counteroffensive from Ukraine as the Russians recover from their harsh offensive in the Bakhmut region that cost them reportedly 30,000 casualties, according to the BBC.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine have stated what weapons were used in the attack, but the damage was not widespread and only caused disruptions, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
This strike could hint at the possibility that the rumors of a Ukrainian counteroffensive might have validity, as targeting supply depots would damage Russia’s ability to respond to attacks on the front line.
