Russia's defence ministry said Saturday that Ukraine tried to strike the Crimea bridge over the Kerch Strait with S-200 missiles, but that there were no casualties or damage. The ministry said earlier today that Russian forces had destroyed 20 Ukrainian drones launched onto the Moscow-annexed peninsula, also with no casualties or damage. Read our live blog to see how the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
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7:52pm: One killed and six wounded in Russia-occupied Donetsk, says official
A civilian was killed and six people were wounded, including a 12-year-old girl, following intense Ukrainian shelling in Donetsk, including cluster munitions, a Russian-installed official in the eastern Ukrainian region said on Saturday.
One civilian was killed in a district of the city of Donetsk, while the six wounded people were in Makiivka, which lies east of Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, the Russian-appointed head of the region, said on his Telegram channel.
“In total, the enemy fired 127 rounds of ammunition at peaceful cities and regions in the republic,” Pushilin said, referring to the Donetsk People’s Republic as Moscow calls the region it said last year it was annexing.
7:18pm: Ukraine military reports 'partial success' in southern Zaporizhzhia region
Ukraine’s military said in a regular update of fighting and casualties on Saturday that its forces had made progress near Robotyne on the front line in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.
It said they had “partial success in the Robotyne area of the Zaporizhzhia region.” It said the Ukrainians had dug in at the point of their advance and were conducting defensive attacks from there.
3:11pm: Russian warplane crashes in Kaliningrad, killing its two pilots
A Russian warplane crashed in Russia’s Kaliningrad region on Saturday during a training mission, killing the two pilots on board.
“The Su-30 aircraft crashed in a deserted area. The flight was carried out without ammunition. The crew died,” local military authorities said.
According to officials, a technical malfunction was the likely cause.
Kaliningrad is a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea, positioned between NATO member states Poland and Lithuania.
The Russian air force has suffered a string of crashes that some observers have attributed to a higher number of flights amid the fighting in Ukraine. Last month, two Russian fighter jets crashed while on training missions — one into the Pacific and one into the Sea of Azov.
2:49pm: Russia vows retaliation for Ukraine's 'terrorist attack' on Crimea bridge
Russia’s foreign ministry condemned on Saturday what it called Ukraine’s “terrorist attack” on the Crimea bridge, saying it put innocent civilians’ lives at risk, and vowed retaliation.
“There can be no justification for such barbaric actions and they will not go unanswered,” ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.
Russia’s defence ministry earlier said its forces had thwarted a Ukrainian missile attack on the 19-kilometre bridge, which links the Moscow-annexed Crimean peninsula to Russia's mainland across the Kerch Strait.
The ministry said Russian forces had also shot down a number of Ukrainian drones targeting the peninsula.
2:23pm: Another rocket downed over Kerch Strait, says Russian-installed governor of Crimea
The Russian-installed governor of Crimea said on Saturday that Russian forces had downed another rocket over the Kerch Strait, Interfax news agency reported, following an earlier attack that Russia’s defence ministry said involved two S-200 rockets.
“Another enemy rocket shot down over the Kerch Strait,” Sergei Aksyonov said on the Telegram messaging app. “Thank you to our air defence forces for a high level of professionalism and vigilance.”
1:01pm: Ukraine tried to hit Crimea bridge with missile attack, says Russian defence ministry
Russia's defence ministry said on Saturday that Ukraine had tried unsuccessfully to strike the Crimea bridge with S-200 missiles, but that no damage or casualties had been caused.
Earlier, Russian-installed Crimea governor Sergei Aksyonov said that two rockets had been downed by anti-aircraft defences near the bridge, which has come under repeated attack by Ukraine since last year.
9:53am: Police officer killed and 12 injured in Russian attack in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine says
One police officer and 12 people, including four other police officers, were injured in an attack on Orikhiv town in the Zaporizhzhia region, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram.
He said Russian troops used a guided aerial bomb.
Klymenko's statement could not be independently verified.
8:28am: Russian shelling kills 73-year-old woman in Kharkiv, Ukraine says
A 73-year-old woman was killed early Saturday morning due to shelling by Russian troops on a settlement in the Kharkiv region in eastern Ukraine, a regional official said.
"This morning, around 5:10, the enemy fired on Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi village in Kupiansk district. A residential building was damaged. A 73-year-old woman died," Kharkiv governor Oleh Synehubov said on Telegram.
Reuters could not independently verify the details of the Ukrainian report.
Eastern parts of the Kharkiv region are directly adjacent to the front line and Ukrainian forces have reported an increase in Russian attacks there in recent weeks.
Kharkiv regional authorities earlier this month announced the mandatory evacuation of civilians from settlements closest to the front line in Kupiansk district.
Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians amid its invasion of Ukraine, which is now in its 18th month and has resulted in the deaths of thousands of people and the destruction of Ukrainian towns and cities.
7:11am: Russian Defence Minister Shoigu inspects Northern Fleet
Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu inspected remote Arctic garrisons of the Northern Fleet, the ministry said Saturday on Telegram.
The ministry said a detachment of Russian warships went to sea to perform tasks in the Arctic zone of the Arctic Ocean.
5:40am: Russia destroys 20 Ukrainian drones over Crimea, defence ministry says
Russian forces destroyed 20 Ukrainian drones launched onto the Crimean peninsula early on Saturday, Russia's defence ministry said.
There were no casualties and no damage as a result of the attempted attack, the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app. It said 14 drones were destroyed by air defence systems and six were suppressed by electronic warfare.
The defence ministry's version of events could not be independently verified.
It was not immediately clear what was targeted in the reported attacks on the Russian-annexed peninsula. Sergei Kryuchkov, an adviser to the Russia-installed governor of Crimea, said earlier that air defence systems were engaged in repelling air attacks in different parts of the peninsula.
Crimea transport authorities said on their Telegram channel that traffic on the Crimean Bridge, which links the Black Sea peninsula with the Russian region of Krasnodar, was suspended for about two hours from 1:30am (2230 GMT on Friday).
Drone attacks on Russian-controlled territories in Ukraine and deep inside Russia have increased since a drone was destroyed over the Kremlin in early May. Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for the attacks but has said destroying Russia's military infrastructure is crucial for Kyiv's counteroffensive.
Key developments from Friday, August 11:
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Friday that the heads of all Ukraine's regional military recruitment centres were being dismissed from their jobs amid concerns about corruption.
"This system should be run by people who know exactly what war is and why cynicism and bribery during war is treason," he said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.
The mass sacking came as Ukraine urged civilians near the northeastern front line to evacuate on Thursday as Russia ramped up an assault to capture territory already seized once during the conflict.
Kupiansk and the surrounding areas of Ukraine's Kharkiv region were recaptured by Kyiv's forces in September but Moscow has since pushed back into the region.
Read yesterday's live blog to see how the day's events unfolded.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
