Archive photo: People go shopping for food along houses destroyed by mortar attacks on Nov. 8, 2023 in Vovchansk, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Eugene Hertnier/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Russian forces struck Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast on the morning of Dec. 28, killing a 66-year-old woman and wounding another resident, reported Oleh Syniehubov, the regional governor.
The second victim, a 63-year-old woman, is being treated on the scene, he said on Telegram.
As a result of the attack, possibly carried out with multiple-launch rocket systems, a car caught fire, according to Syniehubov.
The town of Vovchansk, with a pre-war population of around 17,500 people, lies some 60 kilometers northeast of Kharkiv and less than 10 kilometers from the border with Russia.
Located near the front line and the Russian border, cities, towns, and villages such as Vovchansk suffer from near-daily attacks by Russian forces.
The missiles struck the refinery, triggering multiple explosions, the General Staff said, adding that the extent of the damage was still being clarified.
Ukrainian intelligence sources said the officers had previously taken part in Russia's war against Ukraine and were implicated in the abuse of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs).
Russia launched 131 drones at Ukraine overnight, the Air Force said. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 106 drones. At least 22 drones made it through, striking 15 locations.
Drones from the "Alpha" Special Operations Center of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) struck the Temryuk Seaport in Krasnodar Krai and a gas processing plant in Orenburg Oblast overnight on Dec. 25, an agency source confirmed to the Kyiv Independent.
Russia's Defense Ministry reported that between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. Moscow time on Dec. 24, its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 132 Ukrainian drones.
"'May he perish,' each of us may think to ourselves," Zelensky said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "But when we turn to God, of course, we ask for something greater. We ask for peace for Ukraine."
In a hypothetical runoff between the two, Zaluzhnyi would secure a decisive victory, winning 64% of the vote compared to Zelensky's 36%, according to the poll.
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The plant, located in the town of Efremov, produces dual-use synthetic rubber and polymers used in military vehicle tires, armored personnel carriers, and other weapons-related applications.
