News Feed

Explosion reported in Russian-occupied Berdiansk

2 min read

An explosion occurred in the Russian-occupied city of Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast around noon on Aug. 12, Petro Andriushchenko, advisor to the exiled mayor of occupied Mariupol, reported.  

According to Andriushchenko, the explosion likely occurred in the port area as Berdiansk is located on the Azov Sea coastline.

Ivan Fedorov, the exiled mayor of occupied Melitopol, also reported an explosion in Berdiansk, saying that locals reported "a large fire in the Kolonia neighborhood."

Article image
An explosion was reported in the Russian-occupied city of Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, on Aug. 12. (Ivan Fedorov, an exiled mayor of occupied Melitopol/Telegram)

Andriushchenko also said that people in the Mariupol district, "between Yalta and Urzuf, hear explosions" and see smoke in the sky "in Zaporizhzhia Oblast direction." He did not provide additional details.

There have been increased attacks inside Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory and on Russian territory in recent months.

On Aug. 12, multiple Russian media outlets reported a Ukrainian strike on the Crimean Bridge as videos showing smoke rising near the bridge emerged online.

Russian proxy head of occupied Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, said that air defense had intercepted two missiles over the Kerch Strait, adding that the Crimean Bridge was not damaged.

However, Russian media Mash reported that the traffic on the bridge was halted due to the threat of another strike.

‘That’s it, it’s death, guys.’ What we know about Russia’s killing of 2 Ukrainian teenagers in occupied Berdiansk
On the evening of June 24, 16-year-olds Tihran Ohannisian and Mykyta Khanhanov went for a walk in their hometown of Berdiansk, a Russian-occupied city in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The two got some street food, saw some friends, and discussed how they would celebrate Khanhanov’s 17…
Article image
Avatar
Daria Shulzhenko

Reporter

Daria Shulzhenko is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent. She has been a lifestyle reporter at the Kyiv Post until November 2021. She graduated from Kyiv International University with a bachelor’s in linguistics, specializing in translation from English and German languages. She has previously worked as a freelance writer and researcher.

Read more
News Feed

"It is legitimate and lawful for China to conduct normal economic, trade and energy cooperation with all countries around the world, including Russia," China's Foreign Ministry said in response to question about Russian oil purchases posed by Bloomberg. "We will continue to adopt reasonable energy security measures in accordance with our national interests."

"The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska," Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that "further details will follow."

Video

At the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, foreigners flocked to Ukraine to join its defense against Russian forces. More than three years later, the foreign fighters who remain are a different breed — driven by a deep commitment to Ukraine.

Show More