Retaliation? Putin 'Closely Monitors' Criminal Strikes on Civilians in Kherson
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On the night of 2 June, more than 120 Ukrainian drones carried out the largest strike on Russian-occupied territories since 2022, targeting military infrastructure in the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, according to Petro Andryushchenko, Head of the Center for the Study of Occupation of Ukraine.
Ukrainian drones hit ammunition depots and destroyed substations supplying power to Russian military facilities. Up to 44 Russian military sites, bases, and storage facilities were damaged. The attack caused widespread blackouts across occupied Zaporizhia and parts of Kherson, and postponed the reconnection to the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant by at least a month, significantly disrupting Russian logistics and complicating offensive operations in the south.
In response, Russian forces launched strikes not on military positions, but on civilian infrastructure in Ukrainian-held Kherson.
Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed head of occupied Kherson, said Russian President Vladimir Putin was "closely monitoring the situation" as Russian troops fired guided aerial bombs, FPV drones, tanks, and artillery at Kherson's city center. Grocery stores, the central post office, residential buildings, and administrative offices were destroyed
While Ukraine targeted military infrastructure, Russia escalated deliberate attacks on civilians, under direct Presidential oversight. Putin praised "the effective actions" of the Russian military, saying they made it possible "to reduce the possible consequences."
Under international humanitarian law, political and military leaders may be held criminally responsible for war crimes if they knew or should have known such crimes were being committed and failed to prevent or punish them.
UPDATE
How Ukraine Used Cheap Drones and a Lot of Ingenuity to Strike a Major Blow Against Russia
"I spent most of the early hours of Saturday in my hallway feeling the walls shake as the ballistic missiles exploded", Chris York reports from Kyiv
Chris York
Combined Arms Attack on Kherson City Centre
On the evening of 4 June, a major grocery store was damaged and the city's central post office was destroyed by fire during a round of artillery shelling. At 05:20 on 5 June, Russian forces struck again. Within fifteen minutes, four guided aerial bombs (KABs) hit the city center.
"The whole city woke up, the beds jumped up in the air," said Victoria, a business owner, in an interview with Byline Times. Her restaurant was hit by a heavy shock wave that damaged the most iconic building on Freedom Square.
The Kherson Regional State Administration building had been heavily damaged in previous strikes
For digital and print editions, packed with exclusive investigations, analysis, features, and columns….
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On the night of 2 June, more than 120 Ukrainian drones carried out the largest strike on Russian-occupied territories since 2022, targeting military infrastructure in the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, according to Petro Andryushchenko, Head of the Center for the Study of Occupation of Ukraine.
Ukrainian drones hit ammunition depots and destroyed substations supplying power to Russian military facilities. Up to 44 Russian military sites, bases, and storage facilities were damaged. The attack caused widespread blackouts across occupied Zaporizhia and parts of Kherson, and postponed the reconnection to the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant by at least a month, significantly disrupting Russian logistics and complicating offensive operations in the south.
In response, Russian forces launched strikes not on military positions, but on civilian infrastructure in Ukrainian-held Kherson.
Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed head of occupied Kherson, said Russian President Vladimir Putin was "closely monitoring the situation" as Russian troops fired guided aerial bombs, FPV drones, tanks, and artillery at Kherson's city center. Grocery stores, the central post office, residential buildings, and administrative offices were destroyed
While Ukraine targeted military infrastructure, Russia escalated deliberate attacks on civilians, under direct Presidential oversight. Putin praised "the effective actions" of the Russian military, saying they made it possible "to reduce the possible consequences."
Under international humanitarian law, political and military leaders may be held criminally responsible for war crimes if they knew or should have known such crimes were being committed and failed to prevent or punish them.
UPDATE
How Ukraine Used Cheap Drones and a Lot of Ingenuity to Strike a Major Blow Against Russia
"I spent most of the early hours of Saturday in my hallway feeling the walls shake as the ballistic missiles exploded", Chris York reports from Kyiv
Chris York
Combined Arms Attack on Kherson City Centre
On the evening of 4 June, a major grocery store was damaged and the city's central post office was destroyed by fire during a round of artillery shelling. At 05:20 on 5 June, Russian forces struck again. Within fifteen minutes, four guided aerial bombs (KABs) hit the city center.
"The whole city woke up, the beds jumped up in the air," said Victoria, a business owner, in an interview with Byline Times. Her restaurant was hit by a heavy shock wave that damaged the most iconic building on Freedom Square.
The Kherson Regional State Administration building had been heavily damaged in previous strikes
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