Russia's invasion of Ukraine began 857 days ago. Over the past 24 hours, the Donetsk region has been shelled 32 times. On Saturday evening, the aggressor attacked Vilniansk in the Zaporizhia region. That day, there was also an exchange of prisoners and the release of two Ukrainian clergy from over 2.5 years of captivity. Meanwhile, fighting is intensifying around Kharkiv. Here's what happened in and around Ukraine over the past 24 hours.
> At least seven people were killed and 14 injured in the past 24 hours in Russian attacks on the eastern Donetsk region Ukraine – said the head of the region's authorities, Vadym Filashkin, on Sunday. One person was killed and four were injured in the Pokrovsky district, four people were killed and four were injured in the Kramatorski district, and two fatalities and six injured were reported in the Bakhmuki district. In total, towns in the Donetsk region were shelled 32 times during the day. More than 300 people, including children, were evacuated from near the front line.
Destruction in the Donetsk region Pablo Miranzo/Abaca/PAP
> Two Ukrainian priests were freed from Russian captivity in the prisoner exchange that took place on Friday. It happened thanks to mediation Vatican – the RBK-Ukraine portal reported on Saturday, citing President Volodymyr Zelensky's speech at the National Prayer Breakfast.
Zelensky added that the two priests served in the parish of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Berdyansk, Zaporizhia Oblast. On November 16, 2022, the occupiers captured them and held them captive since then.
> Russian forces attacked on Saturday evening the city of Vilniansk in the Zaporizhia Oblast. At least seven people were killed, including two children. According to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, at least 18 people were injured in the attack.
Attack on Wilniansk in the Zaporizhia OblastDSNS of Ukraine/Facebook
> Ukrainian services on Saturday summed up data on losses from Friday's attack on the Dnieper. A missile struck a nine-story apartment building, killing at least one person and wounding 12 others, including a seven-month-old baby, in a building where four upper floors collapsed.
The effects of Russia's attack on a residential building in the city of Dnieper, UkrainePAP/EPA/STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE HANDOUT
> Fierce fighting continues near Kharkovwhere Ukrainian forces are trying to repel the Russian offensive. In the face of the new enemy attack, Kiev had to redefine its military goals – writes the BBC. Forces from other sections of the front, including Oleksiy, were frantically drawn to defend the second largest city. “Everything happened in a hurry, there was no preparation,” the soldier reported in an interview with the BBC.
The effects of the Russian bomb attack on Kharkov, UkraineEPA/SERGEY KOZLOV
> The CEO of the largest Ukrainian energy company Yasno, Serhiy Kovalenko, said in an interview for Delo.ua that Power outages in Ukraine next winter may last 12 hours a day. In his opinion, the energy deficit could reach 35 percent.
Main photo source: Pablo Miranzo/Abaca/PAP