Ukraine reportedly strikes Russian-occupied Melitopol, setting off explosions, fires
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Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Ukraine struck the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol overnight on March 17, sparking explosions and fires, Telegram news channel Exilenova Plus reported, citing local residents.
Russian air defense systems were destroyed in the attack on the southern Ukrainian city, the outlet later reported.
Melitopol has been under Russian occupation since March 2022, following the onset of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022.
Ukraine regularly strikes military infrastructure deep within Russia and occupied territories in an effort to diminish Moscow's fighting power as the Kremlin wages its war.
On March 10, Ukraine's Special Operations Forces (SSO) released video footage showing strikes on military facilities in Russian-occupied Donetsk oblast.
"SSO continues to inflict asymmetric actions to strategically disable the enemy from waging war against Ukraine," the SSO Command said.
Front-line units targeted a storage base and distribution point for fuel and lubricants in Makiivka, officials said.
Overnight on March 10-11, Ukraine carried out a series of strikes across Russian-occupied territories, targeting air defense systems, fuel depots, ammunition storage sites, and other military infrastructure.
The strikes hit a Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile system near occupied Bahativka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, as well as an oil depot in occupied Berdiansk, lubricants depots in the Berdiansk and Kuznetsivka areas, and a drone depot in Novozlatopil, Ukraine's Armed Forces General Staff said.
On the same night, Ukraine's Special Operations Forces said they destroyed the 64N6E radar station and its antenna in Sevastopol, Crimea, which were used for Russia's S-300 and S-400 air defense systems.
