Military confirms strike on Russian base in occupied Berdiansk, reportedly killing Russian lieutenant general.

The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces has confirmed[1] the July 11 strike on a local hotel turned into Russian military barracks in occupied Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast. According to the General Staff, Russian forces have been actively transporting the bodies of killed soldiers from the hotel called Dune to local morgues. Russian and Ukrainian sources alleged that the strike [2]killed Russia's Lieutenant General Oleg Tsokov, which was later confirmed[3] by Andrey Gurulev, a Russian lawmaker and former commander of the 58th Army.

Russia's Defense Ministry hasn't commented on these reports. Ukraine's military also didn't mention anything about Tsokov's death. According to the independent Russian media outlet Meduza, Tsokov held the post of deputy commander of Russia's Southern Military District.

His appointment was not officially announced, but it could explain why Tsokov appeared in Berdiansk, despite his 144 division fighting in Ukraine's Luhansk Oblast, Meduza wrote. Attacks in Russian-occupied territories have become more frequent in recent months in what is likely part of Ukraine's counteroffensive, now underway in Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk oblasts.

Macron: France to send long-range missiles to Ukraine France will transfer long-range missiles to Ukraine to support its ongoing counteroffensive, French President Emmanuel Macron said at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11.

[4] Dinara Khalilova

News editor

Dinara Khalilova is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent.

She has previously worked as a fixer and local producer for Sky News.

Dinara holds a BA in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a Master's degree in media and communication from Bournemouth University in the UK.

References

  1. ^ confirmed (www.facebook.com)
  2. ^ strike (kyivindependent.com)
  3. ^ confirmed (meduza.io)
  4. ^ Macron: France to send long-range missiles to UkraineFrance will transfer long-range missiles to Ukraine to support its ongoing counteroffensive, French President Emmanuel Macron said at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11. (kyivindependent.com)